Based on what automakers have shared with Auto Remarketing Canada, certified pre-owned sales appeared to be running on all cylinders in Canada during April, particularly for one European brand that notched its strongest month of all time.

Kicking things off, Audi Canada had its best month ever for CPO, moving 426 units in April for a 4.2-percent year-over-year increase. It moved 1,283 certified vehicles in the first four months of the year, marking a 5.4-percent gain.

“We launched our spring sales event for CPO in April, and our dealers and customers have been taking advantage of a great program,” said Jonathan Breton, the manager of certified pre-owned and corporate sales.

“We also continue our efforts to bring as much traffic to dealers while providing those customers shopping for one of our vehicles with a rewarding experience,” he added.  “Recently, we launched a mobile version of our inventory search tool — audicpo.ca/mobile — allowing users to find their Audi certified pre-owned vehicle on their iPhone, Android or BlackBerry device.”

Breton continued: “The mobile site provides detailed specifications, multiple photos, dealer contact and map information, as well as the opportunity to learn more about our certified pre-owned program.”

Meanwhile, Volkswagen Canada had in best April, selling 1,094 CPO units last month. This compares to 1,057 in the same month of 2011.
Year-to-date sales stood at 3,876 units, compared to 3,442 certified sales in the year-ago period.

Next up was Honda Canada, where the Honda brand sold 1,988 CPO sales for the month, compared to 1,940 in April 2011. Through April, Honda has moved 7,310 CPO units, up from 6,160 certified sales in the same time frame of last year.

“Honda CPO sales continue to grow. Currently, we are 18.7 percent up in CPO sales compared to the same period last year,” said Todd Fowler, manager of used vehicle operations. “We are very proud of our dealer network for achieving this level of growth and for elevating our Honda Certified brand.”

Meanwhile, Acura posted 312 certified sales in April, compared to 193 a year ago. The Acura brand has hit 1,257 certified sales so far this year, up from 823 from the year-ago period.

“Acura CPO sales continue to amaze,” Fowler said. “We are currently 52.7 percent up in CPO sales compared to the same period last year.

“The last three months represents the top three CPO sales months in the history of the Acura Certified program. We are very proud of our dealer network for their dedication in both promoting Acura and our certified brand,” he added.

At Mercedes-Benz Canada, it was the strongest April on record for the Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned division. There were 1,272 sales during the month (up 14.4 percent), and there have been 4,535 units moved year-to-date through April (up 28.8 percent).

At Volvo Cars of Canada, it sold 112 certified vehicles in April compared to 102 sales a year ago. Year-to-date, the company has moved 391 CPO units, up  from 262 CPO sales through April 2011.

“A year after introducing our industry-leading certified pre-owned program, it continues to perform well, exceeding customer expectations and even our own projections each and every month,” said Emanuel Lichtinshtein, the company’s national fleet sales, CPO & remarketing manager.

Toyota Canada moved 2,379 CPO units in April (versus 2,290 CPO sales a year ago), thus breaking its 32nd month record in a row, the company noted.
Through April, year-to-date sales have hit 8,315 units, up from 7,105 CPO sales in the first four months of last year.

Kia Canada sold 276 certified vehicles in April, compared to 181 in April 2011.  Through the first four months of the year, it has sold 1,010 CPO units, up from 635 in the same period of 2011.

Subaru Canada sold 36 certified units in April, up from 20 CPO sales in the year-ago period. Through the first four months of the year, its sales have reached 116 units, compared to 86 certified sales in the same period of 2011.