TORONTO -

As February got under way, certified pre-owned results from the first month of the year began rolling in, with OEMs surpassing 2012 sales rates right and left. And one European manufacturer, in particular, saw a jump of more than 30 percent.

Notching a 30.5-percent increase, Volvo sold 107 CPO units this past month, up from 82 during the same period of 2012.

The OEM attributed this surge in part to its appeal to premium car buyers in the certified market.

“January saw another increase in certified pre-owned sales for Volvo Cars of Canada. Premium car buyers continue to be attracted to this industry-leading offer, giving them a previously enjoyed vehicle with the peace of mind that comes with purchasing a new model,” said Emanuel Lichtinshtein, national fleet sales, CPO and remarketing manager at Volvo Cars of Canada.

And Volvo is not the only European luxury car maker reaping the awards of its CPO program.

Jonathan Breton, manager of certified pre-owned and corporate sales at Audi Canada, told Auto Remarketing Canada that the brand sold 331 CPO units in January, which represents a 29.3-percent increase from the 256 units sold during the same month of 2012.

“January signaled a great kick-off for 2013 Audi certified pre-owned sales. Both customer traffic and sales grew significantly over the same period last year,” Breton added.

Volkswagen also saw a double-digit sales increase with 1,061 CPO units sold this past month, up 31.4 percent from 807 sold in January 2012.

Moving over to highlight the Asian OEMs, first up, Toyota reported the nameplate sold 1,571 CPO units this past month, up from 1,556 in January 2012.  

And Honda execs said they are “starting out 2013 on the right foot” with 1,551 CPO sales in January.

“Honda is starting out 2013 on the right foot with a 4.4 percent increase in certified sales over the same period last year. We are very proud of our dealer network for continuing their growth and elevating our Honda Certified brand. We look forward to their continued success this year,” said Todd Fowler, manager of used-vehicle operations at Honda Canada.

And similar news came in from the OEM’s luxury arm. Acura sold 271 CPO units this past month.

“Last year, was an incredible year for the Acura Certified program which saw certified sales reach new records, thanks to the dedication and commitment of the Acura dealer network,” Fowler said. “Combining the momentum from 2012 with the evolution of the Acura Certified program, in January we have surpassed the same period last year's sales by 5 percent. A good start for an excellent year ahead.”

As of press time, all OEM CPO sales results for January 2013 were not available, keep an eye out with Auto Remarketing Canada e-newsletters for additional results.

Sarah Rubenoff can be reached at srubenoff@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing Canada on LinkedIn and Twitter.