June auto sales weaken amid CDK software outage: DesRosiers

TORONTO — DesRosiers Automotive Consultants says June light vehicle sales were relatively weak amid widespread software outages after cybersecurity attacks last month.

The consultancy estimates sales for the month came in at 169,000, "dead even" with June 2023.

Andrew King, managing partner of DesRosiers, says sales figures for the month are still far below industry highs, with June sales exceeding 200,000 units in pre-pandemic years.

CDK Global, an Illinois-based company that provides software for several auto dealers across Canada and the U.S., was hit by back-to-back cyberattacks on June 19.

DesRosiers says the June sales numbers were helped by an increased array of sub-vented interest rates and incentives to push sales higher as the software outage disrupted work for dealerships.

The consultancy says July could see a rebound from the software outage as delayed sales recover.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2024.

The Canadian Press