Canada Imports 100,000 Cars from the US in 2009

The Canadian auto market is trying to fill in the gaps in its supply and demand chain by importing vehicles from the United States, with the numbers showing that 2009 is the fourth consecutive year when the 100,000 units mark is being surpassed.

The Canadian appeal for cars coming from over the border doubled compared to 2008. According to Import Trader, the Canadians bought in November 13,604 vehicles, bringing the total number in 2009 to 112,399. The importer blames this renewed confidence and spending appetite on two elements: lower prices and better option packages for cars coming from the US.

"People are buying cars from the United States for two reasons," says Kevin Callahan, Import Trader CEO said. "They want to save money because prices are lower in the U.S. and they want hard-to-find colors or options that just aren't available in Canada."

"The savings can be quite significant depending on the model. People are pretty happy when they find out they can buy an American vehicle without hassle through a dealer up here. That's why so many Canadians are importing."

In the past four year, Import Trader estimates over 600,000 vehicles have been crossed over the border and are now in Canadian ownership. Since the introduction of the program which allowed Canadians to import American vehicles in 1995, more than 1 million vehicles have found their way into Canada.

"Basically this is just one more shopping alternative for Canadians," Brian Osler, North American Automobile Trade Association (NAATA) CEO told Auto123. "Lots of people go to Canadian dealers who specialize in importing because these dealers enable Canadians to access the U.S. market."