2017 Chevrolet Volt

2017 Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid followed July's record-setting 385 Canadian sales with 421 units in August—the first time any plug-in electric vehicle had topped the 400 monthly sales mark in Canada.

At 2,098 vehicles sold through August, the second-generation Volt now recovers the Canadian annual sales record among plug-ins, surpassing last year's Tesla Model S total of 2,010 with one-third of the year remaining.

August was the sixth consecutive month in which the Volt broke its previous monthly sales record.

DON'T MISS: U.S. plug-in electric car sales for August: Volt sells at twice Leaf rate

En route to collecting its 38th Canadian monthly sales title, the Volt even pushed ahead of the fourth-generation Prius by a margin of 1,902 to 1,778 units.

Volt sales have risen in Ontario since the province raised its plug-in electric vehicle policy support ($11,500 in incentives are available for the base Volt, which carries a $38,490 MSRP in Canadian dollars).

But Quebec continues to be home to half the vehicle's Canadian sales.  

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, August 2016

Plug-in electric car sales in Canada, August 2016

Nissan set a new Canadian sales record for the Leaf in August, with its 170 sales bettering the 152 it achieved this past April and July.

The first few months of augmented Ontario incentives do not appear to have boosted the Leaf as much as they've done the Volt, with recent sales strength coming from Quebec.

There could be several reasons for this, most prominently Ontario buyers waiting to test the upcoming Chevy Bolt or second-generation Leaf before making a purchasing decision.

ALSO SEE: Multi-brand electric-car dealer to open in Canada after Iceland test

Mitsubishi sold a further 11 i-MiEVs in August. As usual, we regret that that Ford refuses to provided C-Max Energi and Ford Fusion Energi sales for the country.

As conveyed by a Ford representative: "I have looked into this and unfortunately we are not inclined to provide this level of detail for Canada. The numbers are very small, as you might imagine."

Previous month registration roundup: July

Canadian plug-in vehicle monthly sales exceeded 1,000 for the second straight month in July.

Tesla Model S P100D

Tesla Model S P100D

Though the 1,050 estimated vehicle registrations was down from June's 1,129, plug-in market share was slightly higher, as the Canadian market softened.

As such, July set a market share record at (a still modest) 0.61 percent, versus June's 0.59 percent.

The drop in Tesla sales from June to July accounted for the smaller plug-in electric car sales volume, with the Californian carmaker evidently focusing on overseas builds in the first month of the third quarter.

A total of 92 Model Ses were sold in Canada in July, down from 167 in June, but in line with April and May, which averaged 89 units per month.

CHECK OUT: Electric-car pioneers vs mainstream buyers: how they differ, in Canada

Tesla sold 126 Model Xes in its sophomore month, down slightly from 156 in June, but still enough to qualify the luxury SUV as Canada's third-best-selling electric vehicle in July, behind the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf.

Kia sold 66 Soul EVs in July, its fifth straight month of around 60 monthly sales, and about 5 percent of Soul sales.

Volvo found drivers for 48 XC90 T8 'Twin Engine' luxury SUVs, representing about 18 percent of XC90 sales.

2016 Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid [photo: Gary Renick, Twin Cities region]

2016 Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid [photo: Gary Renick, Twin Cities region]

Audi sold 36 A3 e-Tron hatchbacks in July, while corporate cousins Porsche sold 22 Cayenne S E-Hybrid SUVs and 3 Panamera S E-Hybrid luxury sedans.

BMW sold 31 X5 xDrive40 SUVs, 21 i8 plug-in hybrid coupes, and 12 i3 battery-electric and range-extended hatchbacks.

Rounding out the German luxury brands, Mercedes sold two additional S550e plug-in hybrids.

Ford sold an additional 13 Focus Electrics in July, and 3 more Chevy Spark EVs made their way onto Canadian roads.

_______________________________________

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.