Canadian motor vehicle sales rose 7.3% to a record in July as buyers responded to promotional offers extending staff discounts to the general public, Statistics Canada reported Thursday.

Sales rose to a record 152,229 new motor vehicles in July. The gain in June’s sales, meantime, was revised higher to 8.5%. The financial incentives caused a 1.7% drop in the new vehicle prices for the month, the agency said.

Sales are expected to fall in August, however. “Based on preliminary figures from the auto industry, the number of new motor vehicles sold in August declined approximately 6%, with the decrease attributable to truck sales,” Statscan said.