MARKHAM, Ontario -

While many were counting down from 10 on New Year’s Eve, the used-car industry in Canada was counting up. To 21, that is.

The final week of 2021 marked the 21st consecutive time that wholesale vehicle prices increased in Canada, according to Tuesday’s CBB Automotive Market Update from Canadian Black Book.

Wholesale vehicle prices were up 0.32% last week, compared to a 0.25% hike the prior week. The average movement for the same week of 2017 through 2019 was a decrease of 0.35%, CBB said.

CBB found increases in 16 of the 22 segments it tracks.

“The Canadian wholesale market continues to increase yet again. This past week, almost all segments reported increasing values,” the company said in the report.

“Supply remains low while demand continues to be strong on both sides of the border. Upstream channels continue to tap supply before it can be available at physical auctions”

The growth in car segment prices was particularly noteworthy, as they climbed 0.52%, according to the report. That beat the prior week increase of 0.28% and the 2017-2019 average, which was a drop of 0.32%.

Truck and SUV prices were up 0.13% last week, slowing from the 0.23% uptick the prior week. During the 2017-2019 time frame, the average movement was a dip of 0.39%.

The segments with the most growth were the compact vans (up 1.49%), near-luxury cars (up 1.37%) and full-size vans (up 1.33%), CBB said.

The most significant decrease was in the full-size pickup category, where prices fell 1.08%.

Sporty cars were next (down 1.00%), followed by full-size crossovers/SUVs (0.56%).

The last week of the month capped what ended up being a “historical high” for the Canadian Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index, which came in at 158.5 points to close December.

That beat November’s reading by 5.9 points. It also marked a 42.2% year-over-year spike, beating the December 2020 reading of 111.5, CBB said.