Maserati is on fire.

Sales are up 43.1 per cent year-on-year in Canada, and 11 per cent in the U.S. The Levante SUV (sport-utility vehicle) is leading the charge.

The Maserati Levante is a key piece in FCA’s plans to revive the 2012-year-old Italian brand. The sales numbers aren’t big, but the profits are fat.

Yes, the 102-year-old Italian brand now owned by FCA (Fiat Chrysler), the one that brought us the delicious 1967 Ghibli, the 1960 3500 GT and the mid-engined 1971 Bora, is now a truck company. That’s where the action is in cars these days – trucks, or crossovers.

Bentley has the Bentayga, Jaguar the F-Pace, Porsche the Macan and Cayenne. Even brands whose history is dotted with sexy sports cars and sleek coupes are bowing to market pressures. I mean, Jaguar brought us what many consider the most beautiful car in history – the E-Type – is now selling a two-box F-Pace. That’s the car business, these days — the truck business.

Light trucks so far this year have outsold passenger cars by almost 2:1, reports DesRosiers Automotive Consultants (985,339 to 522,636). Car sales are down 7.7 per cent, trucks up 10.1 per cent.

The fanboys are not depressed by this turn of events. Even a staid publication like Consumer Reports says the Levante “shamelessly packs the verve of this luxury Italian designer marque,” oozing “performance and personality, as well as its fair share of imperfections. Yep, it’s a Maserati all right.”

Meantime, Car and Driver says the Levante “offers zesty Italian performance backed with an expressively designed exterior — kind of like an automotive Monica Bellucci.” Of recent Spectre (2015 James Bond) fame or her Elite modeling days in the 1980s. Or both? Hmm. The mind boggles.

Now let’s get real. So far this year, Canadians have bought exactly 468 Maseratis in 2016. By comparison, DesRosiers says that through the end of September Canadians had bought 114,674 F-Series pickups and 50,386 Honda Civics.

Still, while the numbers are miniscule now, Maserati is a central pillar in FCA’s long-term plans. High-end crossovers are magic for car companies, padding the bottom line for premium and mainstream brands alike because consumers are willing to pay thousands more for a tall wagon than a traditional passenger car. Indeed, right now Maserati delivers a tidy double-digit profit margin (11.8 per cent). Most car companies are happy with margins in the high single digits.

Of course, the car business is known to make up for low margins with high sales numbers. Most of Canada’s most popular cars are only a little bit profitable – perhaps in the 5.0 per cent range, or less. Less?

Indeed, car sales are tanking in Canada this year. Sales of big names like the Mazda3, Chevrolet Cruze, Volkswagen Jetta and Ford Focus are all down by more than 20 per cent (23.1, 21.4, 24.1 and 20.1 respectively). Trucks? The F-Series is up 26.2 per cent, the Toyota RAV4 up 22.6.

Trucks aside, the big sales winners this year are the luxury brands, largely because they’re all getting into the truck business. Aside from Maserati, up 43.1 per cent, the big winners in the latest year-on-year sales are luxury brands, notes DesRosiers: Jaguar (up 295.0 per cent thanks almost entirely to the F-Pace), BMW (up 21.4 percent), Porsche (up 13.9 per cent), Acura (up 12.1 per cent) and Audi (up 10.0 per cent).

Losers? Among those brand that suffered double digit-decreases last month: MINI (down 20.4 per cent), Hyundai (down 13.8 per cent), FCA (down 12.8 per cent) and Volkswagen (down 11.1 per cent).

Mini is desperate for the arrival of the new Countryman crossover; Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV line is old and tired; and FCA needs to replace the ancient and thoroughly unsophisticated Dodge Journey.

Okay, enough of the commentary. Here’s a look at the top 10 best-selling cars and light truck in Canada, through the first three-quarters of this year – the numbers courtesy of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants:

Passenger Cars

2016       2015             % gain/loss

1 Honda Civic                50,386    49,609        1.6%

2 Hyundai Elantra        40,418    37,922         6.6%

3 Toyota Corolla             36,268    38,972       -6.9%

4 Mazda3                          21,255    27,626       -23.1%

5 Chevrolet Cruze            19,174    24,399       -21.4%

6 Volkswagen Jetta          17,108    22,573       -24.2%

7 Hyundai Accent              16,476    15,869          3.1%

8 Volkswagen Golf            13,806    13,655           1.1%

9 Toyota Camry                  13,140   13,690          -4.0%

10 Ford Focus                      13,125    16,435         -20.1%

Light Trucks

1 Ford F-Series                115,674   91,659       26.2%

2 Ram pickup                   70,247    72,144        2.6%

3 Dodge Caravan              40,488    34,762      16.5%

4 GMC Sierra                     39,486    41,037        -3.8%

5 Toyota RAV4                  38,276     31,220         22.6%

6 Ford Escape                    35,123     36,510          -3.8%

7 Chevrolet Silverado        34,947    35,051          -0.3%

8 Honda CR-V                    33,931    29,298          15.8%

9 Nissan Rogue                   29,730    27,495           8.1%

10 Jeep Cherokee               24,672     23,161            6.5%

Source: DesRosiers Automotive Consultants

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