OTTAWA: The number of new motor vehicles sold fell 3.2% in February after two months of strong growth.
Statistics Canada reports consumers bought 149,439 new vehicles in February, down 5,003 units from the previous month.
Almost three-quarters of the decline was in Ontario .
The agency reports preliminary industry data for March suggest the number of new motor vehicles sold will remain relatively unchanged.
Sales of new trucks—minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses—slumped 4.7% to 68,811.
Passenger car sales dropped 1.9% to 80,628 in February after recording the strongest growth in 10 years in January.
The drop was due entirely to a 6% decline in sales of North American-built passenger cars, to 50,500. Sales of overseas-built passenger cars increased 5.7% to 30,128.
New motor vehicle sales decreased in all provinces with but Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Quebec. Ontario recorded the largest decrease, at 6.6 per cent.

© 2008 The Canadian Press