Photo: Honda of Canada Manufacturing. Alliston, Ontario.
DesRosiers Automotive Consultants estimated Canadian auto sales at 168,000 vehicles in August 2026, up 5.4% from about 160,000 in August 2025, the third consecutive month of year-over-year gains. Managing partner Andrew King said the month was still short of the 2017 to 2019 period, when August sales consistently topped 180,000 units, and that this month’s sales could come in lower compared with September 2025 as households rein in spending. The Canadian Press / BNN Bloomberg
What it means: August was a decent industry month in a market that is still not back to the old peak. The useful half of the note is the September caution. DesRosiers is not predicting a collapse. It is saying the next print may not keep the streak. Affordability is still the constraint I hear on the lot. The Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 2.25% on September 2 and does not speak again until October 28, so nobody is getting a fresh central-bank gift this month either.
That combination — a market that can still print a gain, and a forecast that the next month might not — is exactly when people freeze. They wait for “the slow month” to produce a better Honda payment. Captive Honda Financial Services programs do not automatically cheapen because DesRosiers warned about September. They cheapen when Honda Canada writes a new grid. The grid in front of us runs through September 30.
If you already have a written Civic or CR-V file that fits, a slower industry September is not a reason to tear it up. If you are still choosing a trim, use the live program rather than hoping October arrives with a surprise. I walk that choice against Honda deals Canada so APR, lease support and loyalty stay separate from the headline sales rate.
My prediction: When DesRosiers publishes September 2026 Canadian light-vehicle sales in early October, the month will be below September 2025, matching the firm’s own warning that this month could come in lower. I will be wrong if September holds a year-over-year gain for a fourth consecutive month.
If you're buying right now: Treat August’s 5.4% gain as proof the market can still move, not as a signal to wait. If the September Honda quote already works, lock the VIN. If it does not, we will compare it to waiting for October using the current Honda Canada offer structure rather than the industry print.
Quick answers
Were Canadian auto sales up in August 2026?
Yes. DesRosiers Automotive Consultants estimated 168,000 vehicles sold in August 2026, up 5.4% from about 160,000 in August 2025. It was the third consecutive month of year-over-year gains. August was still below the 2017 to 2019 period, when August sales consistently topped 180,000 units.
Did DesRosiers say September 2026 car sales will be weaker?
DesRosiers said this month’s auto sales could come in lower compared with September 2025, citing the trade dispute and the ongoing affordability crisis as reasons households may rein in spending. That is a forecast, not a published September result.
Should I wait to buy a Honda if the market slows?
Not if a written September Honda Financial Services quote already fits the VIN, term and approval. A slower industry month does not automatically improve Civic or CR-V captive APRs. Compare today’s Honda Canada program against the cost of waiting for an unannounced October reset.
Is waiting for a slower month actually cheaper?
Send me the model and the quote you already have. I will tell you whether September’s Honda Canada program is the one to use, or whether waiting for October is the cleaner move on that VIN.
Henry Chen
Sales and Leasing Executive, Maple Honda
89 Auto Vaughan Dr, Maple, ON L6A 4A1
647-523-6878 · henry@maplehonda.com
Industry sales figures are DesRosiers estimates as reported by The Canadian Press. Honda program terms are Honda Canada’s September 2026 sales program. Confirm the written quote on your VIN. Predictions are my personal read, not Honda Canada policy.