Canadian auto sales edge higher in March

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian auto sales rose in March from a year earlier, industry data showed on Wednesday, even as several major manufacturers, including General Motors Co (NYSE:GM - News) and Toyota Motor Corp (:7203.T), reported declines.

Automakers sold 160,274 cars and trucks in Canada, up 1.9 percent from March 2013, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, despite an economic slowdown in the oil-rich province of Alberta, which has been hit by the plunge in crude prices.

"Sales year-to-date are up 2.7 percent so the concerns about Alberta dragging down the entire vehicle market in Canada are so far unfounded," DesRosiers said in a note to clients.

GM's Canadian sales fell to 21,027 cars and trucks from 21,790 vehicles a year earlier as car sales dropped 30.8 percent to 5,404 vehicles. Truck sales rose 11.7 percent. GM said the gain reflected a market shift from cars to trucks and crossovers.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' (:FCHA.MI) Canadian unit sold 25,060 vehicles, up 1.7 percent from a year earlier. Sales of its Ram truck brand jumped 24 percent, more than offsetting a decline in car sales.

"The Ram brand continues to be one of the key determinants in our sales growth," Fiat Chrysler Canada Chief Operating Officer Dave Buckingham said in a release.

Ram sales rose to 10,008 trucks from 8,075, while car sales slipped 5.5 percent to 3,279 vehicles.

Ford Motor Co's (NYSE:F - News) Canadian sales fell 4.6 percent to 21,380 vehicles, as car sales dropped 7.9 percent and truck sales fell 3.6 percent. The company said a shortage of inventory for some popular vehicles hurt sales.

Toyota Canada sold 16,805 cars and trucks in March, down from 17,397 in March 2013. Sales of Toyota-brand passenger car fell to 6,736 from 7,809.

In contrast to Canada, Toyota was a strong performer last month in the United States, where demand for new vehicles rose 0.6 percent to 1.55 million.

Honda Canada's sales fell 4 percent to 14,749 vehicles.

"Traffic to our Canadian dealer network was below what we would expect in March," senior vice president Dave Gardner said in a release. "This was particularly evident in the Atlantic provinces, as the impact of extreme weather set new car buying as a low priority for people, as one would expect."

(Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama; and Peter Galloway)