Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales fell 3% to $68.7 billion in January as motor vehicle sales dropped to their lowest level since September 2021.
The agency says the transportation equipment subsector fell 18.2% as motor vehicle sales dropped 38.9% and motor vehicle parts sales lost 7.7%.
Statistics Canada noted the drop came as several major auto assembly plants in Ontario extended their winter shutdowns from December to January to complete model change retooling and production line maintenance, resulting in lower production.
Overall, sales were down in 11 of the 21 subsectors.
Machinery manufacturing sales fell 5.6%, while the miscellaneous manufacturing subsector rose 16.8% to $1.5 billion in January, the highest level on record.
In constant dollars, total manufacturing sales fell 3.9% in January.