While the US Big Three are scrambling for survival just to the south of us, it seems Canadians have set their sights elsewhere when it comes to automotive love. According to March sales figures, our constant headline-hogging buddies called Chrysler are near the bottom. But who’s on top?

You know the drill by now. Follow the jump for more.

In a move that seems to indicate a large degree of practically-minded consumerism, Audi Canada is reporting their second-best March sales in the entire history of their existence – and they’ve been here since 1971. Mercedes-Benz sales have also soared, which is due in large part to sales of smart ForTwos. Meanwhile, Subaru continues to top the new car sales charts (both here and abroad), and have posted their single best sales record in Subaru Canada’s history.

Honda, Nissan, GM, Chrysler, and Toyota are all clustered near the bottom of the heap, with sales continuing their slow spiral downward. What have the Germans (and Subaru) got that these guys don’t?

Is it practicality? It’s a tempting line of enquiry, considering the top three’s various four and all-wheel-drive systems and the vagaries of Canadian weather patterns.

Is it reliability? Doubtful, since Honda’s solidly underperforming, and they’re known for nothing if not their overall reliability.

Is it the combination of luxurious interiors, practicality, and reliability together? Possibly…but then, why are the smart ForTwos largely responsible for propelling MB upward? Even the Brabus ForTwos aren’t all that posh. And why’s Toyota solidly down on the bottom when every middle-class family seems to have owned at least one Camry (and possibly several) at some point in their lives?

It’s settled, then. VW Canada will obviously have to be the tiebreaker. And despite the fact the CarEnvy.ca fleet seems to largely be comprised of Golfs, they haven’t paid us a dime. Seriously.

And…those numbers have just come in, and it looks as though the Germans have indeed swept the whole of Canada off our feet for the month of March! I guess there’s just something about the people’s car and our inoffensive country that go hand-in-hand. Funnily enough, I’ve heard that beer sales have remained steady despite our declining world economy as well. Clearly, Ze Germans on to something.

[NetNewsLedger and Marketwire]