AJAX, Ontario -

Thanks to a strong inventory situation and solid engagement from its dealer body, Volkswagen Canada celebrated a record in the certified pre-owned market last month.

The company sold 1,342 CPO units in Canada, which was its strongest August on record and more than a 24-percent upswing from August 2011.

Luigi Fiorino, manager of used-vehicle sales at VW Canada, said there was "continued momentum throughout (August), with best-ever August results due to favorable inventory and high dealer engagement."

VW was just one of several automakers reporting positive CPO sales months to Auto Remarketing Canada.

Volvo Canada sold 118 certified units in August, which was down 28 percent from the 164 CPO sales in August 2011.

However, its 861 year-to-date CPO sales are beating the year-ago period by more than 7 percent. Additionally, August’s monthly certified sales were more than a 6-percent improvement from July’s numbers, as well.

“Volvo Canada’s CPO sales increased 6.3 percent over the previous month, once again demonstrating the continued interest in this industry-leading offer by those looking for a premium vehicle with peace of mind,” said Emanuel Lichtinshtein, national fleet sales, CPO & remarketing manager at Volvo Canada.

Moving over to Honda Canada, the Honda division moved 1,840 certified vehicles in August, compared to 1,587 units in August 2011. Through eight months, Honda has sold 15,050 CPO units, versus 13,321 certified sales in the year-ago period.

"Honda CPO sales continue its successful sales year,” said Todd Fowler, manager of used-vehicle operations. “Currently, we are 13 percent up in CPO sales compared to the same period last year. We are proud of our dealer network for achieving this level of growth and for elevating our Honda Certified brand.”

As for Acura, it sold 253 certified units last month, compared to 240 in August 2011. Its year-to-date sales stood at 2,510 at the end of August, versus 1,753 through eight months of 2011.

"Acura CPO sales continue to amaze. We are currently 43.2 percent up in CPO sales, compared to the same period last year,” Fowler noted. “We are very proud of our dealer network for their dedication in both promoting Acura and our certified brand.”

At Toyota Canada, TCUV sales reached 2,076 units in August, compared to 2,003 in August 2011. Year-to-date, it has moved 17,369 CPO vehicles, versus 15,994 in the same period of 2011.

Next up was Mercedes-Benz Canada. There were 1,328 August sales in the Mercedes-Benz Pre-Owned division. 

Through August, there have been 9,835 CPO sales, which is a 13-percent uptick.