Cars
It's certainly not a shock to see the BMW 3-Series (and its 4-Series offspring, formerly known as the 3-Series two-doors) atop these rankings of America's best-selling luxury vehicles in the 2014 calendar year.
• U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - 2014 Year End
Not a single month passed over the last year in which the 3-Series/4-Series was not ranked number one on these pages.
By the end of December, the 3er/4er family had generated 89% more sales than the next-best-selling premium brand car, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a vehicle which spent much of the year transitioning out of the previous-generation and into the new iteration.
America's top-selling luxury utility vehicle was once again the Lexus RX. Will the RX continue to sell in such large numbers now that it has a smaller rival in Lexus showrooms?
It appears so, as Lexus sold 2905 NXs in December, RX volume rose 3.5% to 13,625 units.
Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these top-selling luxury vehicles can always be accessed through the dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats page, and for those not viewing the mobile version of this site, near the top right of this page, as well.
2013 Year End • 2012 Year End • 2011 Year End • 2010 Year End
For the purposes of the above list, premium brands include Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo. Brands like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Lotus don't report specific monthly sales data. Bentley and Maserati only report brand totals. Buick has been excluded with a bunch of other automakers that don't sell vehicles with base prices higher than $40K.
Source: Automakers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales
$45,000 USD (before delivery) is an arbitrary borderline, but if GCBC was to follow this system of designating only expensive vehicles as luxury vehicles, adding approximately $15,000 to the average new car transaction price seemed like a fitting place to begin. Plenty of less expensive vehicles with specific models feature prices above $45,000 - M, RS, and AMG models come to mind, specifically - but in the case of the second list, we know that none of the registrations were of cars priced at $32,750, as would be the case with the new BMW 320i, which costs less than a Honda Accord V6 Touring. The biggest problem with a $45,000 minimum price of entry? Cars like the Cadillac XTS, which starts at $44,600, and the Audi A6, which starts at $44,800.
^ Escalade breakdown by variant.
* BMW USA, not GoodCarBadCar, has chosen to combine sales of the 3-Series and 4-Series. GCBC combines sales of the Audi A4 and Audi A4 Allroad. None-Allroad sales were down 7.5% to 33,993 in 2014.
Cadillac's new CTS - 31,115 2014 sales - starts at $45,100, but the lingering CTS Coupe is a sub-$40K car, and the wagon starts at $42,195. The ANDC estimates that Tesla sold 26,400 copies of the Model S in 2014, but ANDC estimates for Tesla have typically proven to be on the very high side.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2013 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2012 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2011 Year End
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - 2014 Year End
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - January 2015
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was Canada's top-selling premium brand vehicle in January 2015, the first time the C-Class led the luxury field since January of last year. • Canada Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - January 2015 Click Chart To...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2014
With 19,464 December sales in 2014, BMW's 3-Series/4-Series vehicle line outsold all of Audi, all of Acura, all of Cadillac, all of Infiniti, all of Lincoln. Land Rover, Jaguar, and Volvo combined for 17,127 sales. • America's Best-Selling...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - November 2014
In November 2014, BMW's leading 3-Series lineup, including its 4-Series offshoot, outsold the whole Cadillac brand for the second consecutive month on its way to ending the month as America's top-selling premium brand vehicle. Cadillac wasn't...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - July 2013
1 In 200 Vehicles Sold In America In July Was Either A Range Rover, Cayenne, Escalade, Or Benz GLThe BMW 3-Series posted its third consecutive year-over-year increase in July 2013, a 29% jump which saw 3er sales climb by 2237 units. ...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - June 2013
Americans registered 63% more 3-Series-badged BMWs in June 2013 than in the same period last year. The 3-Series' lead over the Mercedes-Benz C-Class expanded to 3260 units through six months. Presumably, the 3-Series will take a hit as coupe sales...
Cars
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2014 Year End
• U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - 2014 Year End
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| Click Chart To Expand |
By the end of December, the 3er/4er family had generated 89% more sales than the next-best-selling premium brand car, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, a vehicle which spent much of the year transitioning out of the previous-generation and into the new iteration.
America's top-selling luxury utility vehicle was once again the Lexus RX. Will the RX continue to sell in such large numbers now that it has a smaller rival in Lexus showrooms?
It appears so, as Lexus sold 2905 NXs in December, RX volume rose 3.5% to 13,625 units.
Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these top-selling luxury vehicles can always be accessed through the dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats page, and for those not viewing the mobile version of this site, near the top right of this page, as well.
2013 Year End • 2012 Year End • 2011 Year End • 2010 Year End
Rank | Premium Brand Vehicle | 2014 | 2013 | % Change |
#1 | BMW 3-Series & 4-Series * | 142,232 | 119,521 | 19.0% |
#2 | Lexus RX | 107,490 | 103,920 | 3.4% |
#3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 75,065 | 88,251 | -14.9% |
#4 | Lexus ES | 72,508 | 72,581 | -0.1% |
#5 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 66,400 | 69,803 | -4.9% |
#6 | Acura MDX | 65,603 | 53,040 | 23.7% |
#7 | Cadillac SRX | 53,578 | 56,776 | -5.6% |
#8 | BMW 5-Series | 52,704 | 56,863 | -7.3% |
#9 | Lexus IS | 51,358 | 35,017 | 46.7% |
#10 | BMW X5 | 47,031 | 39,818 | 18.1% |
#11 | Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 46,726 | 41,326 | 13.1% |
#12 | Acura RDX | 44,865 | 44,750 | 0.3% |
#13 | Audi Q5 | 42,420 | 40,355 | 5.1% |
#14 | Audi A4 * | 38,679 | 42,130 | -8.2% |
#15 | Infiniti Q50 | 36,899 | 17,816 | 107% |
Rank | Vehicles With Base Prices Above $45,000 | 2014 | 2013 | % Change |
#1 | Chevrolet Tahoe | 97,726 | 83,502 | 17.0% |
#2 | Chevrolet Suburban | 55,009 | 51,260 | 7.3% |
#3 | BMW 5-Series | 52,704 | 56,863 | -7.3% |
#4 | BMW X5 | 47,031 | 39,818 | 18.1% |
#5 | Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 46,726 | 41,326 | 13.1% |
#6 | GMC Yukon | 41,569 | 28,302 | 46.9% |
#7 | Chevrolet Corvette | 34,839 | 17,291 | 101% |
#8 | Cadillac Escalade | 30,522 | 22,514 | 35.6% |
Cadillac Escalade ^ | 19,482 | 12,592 | 54.7% | |
Cadillac Escalade ESV ^ | 10,987 | 7950 | 38.2% | |
Cadillac Escalade EXT ^ | 53 | 1972 | -97.3% | |
#9 | GMC Yukon XL | 29,752 | 31,258 | -4.8% |
#10 | Mercedes-Benz GL-Class | 26,597 | 29,912 | -11.1% |
#11 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 25,276 | 13,303 | 90.0% |
#12 | Lexus GX460 | 22,685 | 12,136 | 86.9% |
#13 | Lexus GS | 22,198 | 19,742 | 12.4% |
#14 | Audi Q7 | 18,517 | 15,978 | 15.9% |
#15 | Land Rover Range Rover Sport | 17,897 | 15,976 | 12.0% |
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales
$45,000 USD (before delivery) is an arbitrary borderline, but if GCBC was to follow this system of designating only expensive vehicles as luxury vehicles, adding approximately $15,000 to the average new car transaction price seemed like a fitting place to begin. Plenty of less expensive vehicles with specific models feature prices above $45,000 - M, RS, and AMG models come to mind, specifically - but in the case of the second list, we know that none of the registrations were of cars priced at $32,750, as would be the case with the new BMW 320i, which costs less than a Honda Accord V6 Touring. The biggest problem with a $45,000 minimum price of entry? Cars like the Cadillac XTS, which starts at $44,600, and the Audi A6, which starts at $44,800.
^ Escalade breakdown by variant.
* BMW USA, not GoodCarBadCar, has chosen to combine sales of the 3-Series and 4-Series. GCBC combines sales of the Audi A4 and Audi A4 Allroad. None-Allroad sales were down 7.5% to 33,993 in 2014.
Cadillac's new CTS - 31,115 2014 sales - starts at $45,100, but the lingering CTS Coupe is a sub-$40K car, and the wagon starts at $42,195. The ANDC estimates that Tesla sold 26,400 copies of the Model S in 2014, but ANDC estimates for Tesla have typically proven to be on the very high side.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2013 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2012 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2011 Year End
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - 2014 Year End
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - January 2015
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class was Canada's top-selling premium brand vehicle in January 2015, the first time the C-Class led the luxury field since January of last year. • Canada Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - January 2015 Click Chart To...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2014
With 19,464 December sales in 2014, BMW's 3-Series/4-Series vehicle line outsold all of Audi, all of Acura, all of Cadillac, all of Infiniti, all of Lincoln. Land Rover, Jaguar, and Volvo combined for 17,127 sales. • America's Best-Selling...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - November 2014
In November 2014, BMW's leading 3-Series lineup, including its 4-Series offshoot, outsold the whole Cadillac brand for the second consecutive month on its way to ending the month as America's top-selling premium brand vehicle. Cadillac wasn't...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - July 2013
1 In 200 Vehicles Sold In America In July Was Either A Range Rover, Cayenne, Escalade, Or Benz GLThe BMW 3-Series posted its third consecutive year-over-year increase in July 2013, a 29% jump which saw 3er sales climb by 2237 units. ...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - June 2013
Americans registered 63% more 3-Series-badged BMWs in June 2013 than in the same period last year. The 3-Series' lead over the Mercedes-Benz C-Class expanded to 3260 units through six months. Presumably, the 3-Series will take a hit as coupe sales...