Fiat contributes to March sales increase for Chrysler

Ford Canada has said they have reclaimed the top spot in Canadian auto sales for the month of March, despite a three per-cent decline in the first few months of 2012.

Chrysler surpassed Ford for sales in January and February, and has announced an eight per cent increase in Canadian sales for March. On Tuesday the Detroit based auto giant said they sold more vehicles north of the border than any of its competitors in March, but Ford quickly stepped in to correct the statement.    

Chrysler, whose models include Ram pick-up trucks, Jeep, Dodge and Fiat, was third in Canadian sales last year, behind Ford and General Motors, Reuters reported Tuesday.

The notable increase has taken the market by surprise, as it comes at a time when economic recovery is an international concern. 

Whether Ford, Chrysler or GM is leading the pack, industry experts expect the strong auto sales to continue, although maybe at a less shocking rate.

“We are expecting that the pace of the gains will moderate,” Carlos Gomes, Scotiabank auto industry expert, told thedailyplanet.com.

“A four to five percent increase is expected this year,” he said.

Gomez said Chrysler’s success may be related to the global economic climate, and said the sales increase is "an indication of consumers shifting to smaller more fuel efficient vehicles."

Some experts are attributing the overwhelming increase in sales to the newly introduced subcompact Fiat, which fits the bill of small, fuel-efficient vehicles.

"What we are seeing is that it’s the small cars that are driving the increase in Canada," Gomes added. "The introduction of Fiat and so forth is definitely helping."

Ford’s comeback fits the pattern as well, gaining five per cent in March based on strong demand for the compact Focus, the Globe and Mail reports. It was the company’s best March performance since the recession hit in 2007.

"The industry continues to build momentum as we go into the spring. Typically the lowest selling month tends to be January and it improves to a peak in April, May and then moderates through the summer. We are just getting into the big spring buying season," Gomes said.

The Fraser Institute Report Card on Ontario's Secondary Schools gave an average of 5.3 out of 10 to 73 schools in Toronto, and finds the provincial average  to be six out of 10 compared to the GTA average 6.2 out of 10.

According to CP24.ca "Toronto public schools are falling behind the rest of the province when it comes to the quality of education they deliver.

"Our analysis shows that Toronto schools, especially public schools, are doing on average below the rest of the province,"  Micheal Thomas, Fraser Institute's Associate Director, told CP24.

However, Toronto is working on advancing its standards. The Fraser Institute reported that Toronto schools ranked nine of the top 20 schools that are improving in their grades.

Even though most of Toronto schools did not come out on top it is encouraging to know that they are improving, said Thomas.

"The more effectively the school enables all of its students to succeed, the weaker will be the relationship between the home characteristics of its students and their academic success," he said.

CP24 reported that the private St. Michael Choir School in Toronto scored the highest grades with 9.6 out of ten.

St. Michael's principal Barry White told thedailyplanet.com he feels good about the results.

“ We are no stranger to this division and it feels wonderful about our score and we are proud of our boys.”