Sales of new motor vehicle sales slipped by 0.4% in February, Statistics Canada said today.

Consumers bought 136,767 new vehicles during the month, a decrease of about 600 vehicles compared to January.

StatsCan said month-to-month movements in auto sales continued to be relatively subdued following major sales swings throughout much of 2005, which were influenced by “employee pricing” and other special incentive programs.

While February’s sales were off, preliminary figures from the auto industry indicate sales in March increased by about 1%.

Both passenger car and truck sales gained during the month, Statistics Canada said.