Auto Sales drive Canada’s retail sales up 1% to $70.4B in August: StatCan

In August 2025, Canada’s retail sales rebounded by 1.0%, reaching C$70.4 billion. A major reason for that gain? Auto sales, sales at motor vehicles and parts dealers rose 1.8% that month. We’ll walk through: what the numbers show, how much the auto sector contributed, what other retail categories were doing, the implications for Canada’s economy, and what to watch next.