RICHMOND HILL, Ontario -

In a year that saw the overall Canadian new-vehicle market climb about 2 percent, Ford notched its second straight title as Canada’s No. 1 seller while European automakers appeared to have turned the corner in 2011, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

There were 1.59 million new vehicles sold in Canada during 2011, up 1.8 percent year-over-year, and the year closed with 114,557 sales in December (up 2.6 percent), as indicated by data provided by DesRosiers.

These results signal a market that continues to be “very soft,” said company president Dennis DesRosiers.

That said, Ford and European brands proved to be especially strong bright spots.

Ford’s 275,850 sales were an industry high, as well as a 3-percent improvement over 2010. The Blue Oval beat out fellow Big 3 automakers General Motors (242,815 sales) and Chrysler (229,624), which placed second and third, respectively. GM’s sales figure was off 1.6 percent from the prior year, while Chrysler jumped 12.5 percent.

Some of the strongest gains, though, were spotted among the European automakers, all of which improved over 2010.

For example, Land Rover’s 2011 sales of 3,228 units marked a 26.7-percent uptick, while Volkswagen’s 52,604 sales represented a 15.9-percent gain. Audi, meanwhile, jumped 17.7 percent.

What’s more, the bulk of the automakers posting best-ever years in 2011 were European automakers.

“Rarely have all European brands seen an increase in sales in any calendar year,” DesRosiers noted. “Just like how the 1990’s were the decade for the Japanese and how the first decade of this century belonged to the Koreans, three years in, this decade is shaping up to be for the European brands.”