MISSISSAUGA, Ontario -

Canadian wholesale prices during April were stronger than what is typical for the season, meaning that despite the fact that values were down sequentially, the ADESA Canada Used Vehicle Price Index improved marginally over the previous month.

Specifically, ADESA’s data — powered by ALG Canada — indicated that the index jumped about 0.3 points in April versus March’s level when seasonally adjusted.

Officials explained that even though there was a 1.4-percent month-over-month decrease in wholesale values, “they were not as low as seasonally expected, thus the index increased slightly.”

Compared to April 2010, wholesale prices climbed 17.3 percent, the data indicated.

“The strong job market, improving consumer confidence and pent-up demand has seen Canadian auto sales hit an annualized rate of 1.67 million vehicles in March and April,” officials pointed out.

“However, higher fuel prices have caused a shift to more fuel-efficient vehicles. April also saw the continuing increase in the Canadian dollar’s value versus the U.S. dollar,” they added.

Breaking it down by segment, minivans climbed 5.6 percent month-over-month with compact SUVs up 1.8 percent.

Mid-compacts inched forward (up 0.8 percent), following what had been four straight significant sequential gains.

There was value drop in the midsize segment (down 1.2 percent), which had not happened for “several months.”

Meanwhile, midsize SUVs and full-size pickups once again showed slowdowns. Midsize SUVs were off 5.2 percent from March, while full-size pickups dropped 4.4 percent.