The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that vehicle sales diverged in Canada and the United States last month, with automakers tallying another record in Canada and U.S. sales falling. The Globe's Greg Keenan writes that Canadian sales raced ahead 7 per cent to 187,450 in March, surpassing the record set a year earlier and marking only the seventh time this decade that sales have topped 180,000 in a single month. In the past, numbers above that level have only been reached in April and May, which are the heart of the crucial spring-selling season. The record month in Canada was propelled by luxury automakers -- several of which outperformed the market -- and General Motors of Canada was the sales leader in the month and posted a 23-per-cent gain. The rebound in the Alberta economy from low oil prices helped the whole market, says Bank of Nova Scotia economist Carlos Gomes, whose specialty is the auto sector. Continued economic growth in British Columbia and Ontario also helped. Those two provinces are No. 1 and No. 4 in sales among the provinces. "You have very strong wealth effects that continue to propel the luxury segment," Mr. Gomes says, notably in British Columbia and Ontario.