Cars
• All Makes & Models Ranked By September 2014 YTD U.S. Sales
GM says their average transaction price rose to a best-ever $34,600 in September 2014, $1200 higher than August's ATP and $2500 up from September 2013's ATP. GM, however, credited strong truck and crossover sales for the profit-driving selling prices, and not Cadillac.
Among premium brand vehicles, the highest-ranked Cadillac was the ninth-place SRX, sales of which fell 15% in September after a 37% drop in August.
The Escalade lineup combined for 3518 sales, 2290 from the regular wheelbase and 1228 from the ESV. But Cadillac car sales slid 14%. Together with the SRX's decline, this cancelled out the doubling of Escalade sales, and total Cadillac volume grew by just one unit, year-over-year, as the industry jumped more than 9%.
Instead of selling Cadillacs at Mercedes-Benz or BMW-like levels, General Motors still does a remarkable job of controlling the volume-brand full-size SUV category. The Yukon, Yukon XL, and Suburban all have base prices in excess of $45,000, and the better-selling Tahoe starts at $44,895. Corvette sales, meanwhile, tripled to 2467 units in September. Corvette pricing starts $54,000.
September 2015 • October 2014 • August 2014 • September 2013
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
$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 SUVs like the $48,895 Chevrolet Tahoe.
^ In September, Infiniti sold 881 copies of the Q50's predecessor, the G sedan, and 454 Q60s to go along with 2742 Q50s.
* 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 2480 in September.
Cadillac's new CTS - 2282 September sales - starts at $45,100, but the lingering CTS Coupe is a sub-$40K car, and the wagon starts at $42,195.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2015
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - August 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2013
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2015
Mercedes-Benz finished September as America's top-selling premium auto brand after Lexus wore the crown in both July and August. Through the first three quarters of 2015, the race between the top three brands is tight. Mercedes-Benz's non-Sprinter...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2014
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BMW's top-selling 3-Series topped the premium brand leaderboard in September 2014, joined by the twelfth-ranked BMW 4-Series, as well. The 4-Series is a 3-Series offshoot. Indeed, sales of the 3-Series in September 2013 included cars that now operate...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - August 2014
Though closely challenged by the Lexus RX, the BMW 3-Series (and its 4-Series offshoot, formerly known as the 3-Series), ended August 2014 as America's best-selling premium brand vehicle. • U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - August...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2013
BMW's iconic 3-Series nameplate - with help from the renamed 4-Series two-door-that-is-a-3-Series - was America's top-selling premium brand nameplate in September 2013. The 3-Series outsold the Lexus RX by 912 units and the Mercedes-Benz...
Cars
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2014
Among vehicles with base prices of more than $45,000, five of September's ten best sellers were General Motors products.
• All Makes & Models Ranked By September 2014 YTD U.S. Sales
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| Click Chart To Expand |
Among premium brand vehicles, the highest-ranked Cadillac was the ninth-place SRX, sales of which fell 15% in September after a 37% drop in August.
The Escalade lineup combined for 3518 sales, 2290 from the regular wheelbase and 1228 from the ESV. But Cadillac car sales slid 14%. Together with the SRX's decline, this cancelled out the doubling of Escalade sales, and total Cadillac volume grew by just one unit, year-over-year, as the industry jumped more than 9%.
Instead of selling Cadillacs at Mercedes-Benz or BMW-like levels, General Motors still does a remarkable job of controlling the volume-brand full-size SUV category. The Yukon, Yukon XL, and Suburban all have base prices in excess of $45,000, and the better-selling Tahoe starts at $44,895. Corvette sales, meanwhile, tripled to 2467 units in September. Corvette pricing starts $54,000.
Also present on that GM-heavy $45K+ list at the bottom of this post are four Mercedes-Benzes, two cars and two SUVs. The best-selling premium brand vehicle in America is the BMW 3-Series (4-Series inclusive, as per BMW's sales release). 3-Series/4-Series sales shot up 50.5% in September. America's leading premium brand utility vehicle is the Lexus RX.
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.
September 2015 • October 2014 • August 2014 • September 2013
Rank | Premium Brand Vehicle | September 2014 | September 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
#1 | BMW 3-Series & 4-Series * | 12,814 | 8512 | 50.5% | 94,445 | 77,921 | 21.2% |
#2 | Lexus RX | 7453 | 7601 | -1.9% | 76,216 | 73,279 | 4.0% |
#3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 6285 | 6389 | -1.6% | 50,170 | 66,596 | -24.7% |
#4 | Lexus ES | 5722 | 4866 | 17.6% | 52,910 | 52,076 | 1.6% |
#5 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 4883 | 5646 | -13.5% | 52,608 | 46,006 | 14.4% |
#6 | Acura MDX | 4864 | 4539 | 7.2% | 48,308 | 34,803 | 38.8% |
#7 | BMW X5 | 4398 | 4667 | -5.8% | 33,021 | 31,280 | 5.6% |
#8 | Acura TLX | 3884 | --- | --- | 6170 | --- | --- |
#9 | Cadillac SRX | 3700 | 4362 | -15.2% | 41,708 | 40,506 | 3.0% |
#10 | Lexus IS | 3611 | 3201 | 12.8% | 37,038 | 22,060 | 67.9% |
#11 | Cadillac Escalade | 3518 | 1754 | 101% | 21,402 | 16,543 | 29.4% |
Cadillac Escalade ^ | 2290 | 968 | 137% | 13,705 | 8953 | 53.1% | |
Cadillac Escalade ESV ^ | 1228 | 634 | 93.7% | 7647 | 5916 | 29.3% | |
Cadillac Escalade EXT ^ | --- | 152 | -100% | 50 | 1674 | -97.0% | |
#12 | Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 3460 | 3180 | 8.8% | 32,114 | 29,400 | 9.2% |
#13 | Audi Q5 | 3240 | 3268 | -0.9% | 30,114 | 28,599 | 5.3% |
#14 | Acura RDX | 3230 | 3022 | 6.9% | 33,095 | 33,539 | -1.3% |
#15 | Audi A4 * | 2994 | 3813 | -21.5% | 29,304 | 31,113 | -5.8% |
Rank | Vehicles With Base Prices Above $45K | September 2014 | September 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
#1 | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | 4883 | 5647 | -13.5% | 52,608 | 46,006 | 14.4% |
#2 | BMW X5 | 4398 | 4667 | -5.8% | 33,021 | 31,280 | 5.6% |
#3 | Chevrolet Suburban | 4101 | 2733 | 50.1% | 38,588 | 34,580 | 11.6% |
#4 | Cadillac Escalade | 3518 | 1754 | 101% | 21,402 | 16,543 | 29.4% |
Cadillac Escalade ^ | 2290 | 968 | 137% | 13,705 | 8953 | 53.1% | |
Cadillac Escalade ESV ^ | 1228 | 634 | 93.7% | 7647 | 5916 | 29.3% | |
Cadillac Escalade EXT ^ | --- | 152 | -100% | 50 | 1674 | -97.0% | |
#5 | Mercedes-Benz M-Class | 3460 | 3180 | 8.8% | 32,114 | 29,400 | 9.2% |
#6 | GMC Yukon | 3226 | 1667 | 93.5% | 30,684 | 18,907 | 62.3% |
#7 | Chevrolet Corvette | 2467 | 831 | 197% | 25,950 | 7830 | 231% |
#8 | GMC Yukon XL | 2165 | 1320 | 64.0% | 21,928 | 21,946 | -0.1% |
#9 | Mercedes-Benz GL-Class | 2154 | 2349 | -8.3% | 17,728 | 22,182 | -20.1% |
#10 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 1909 | 387 | 373% | 16,915 | 7625 | 122% |
#11 | Lexus GS | 1592 | 1231 | 29.3% | 16,252 | 14,255 | 14.0% |
#12 | Lexus GX460 | 1570 | 753 | 108% | 15,999 | 7105 | 125% |
#13 | BMW 5-Series | 1407 | 3574 | -60.6% | 39,168 | 38,681 | 1.3% |
#14 | Audi Q7 | 1365 | 1386 | -1.5% | 13,105 | 10,772 | 21.7% |
#15 | Porsche Cayenne | 1196 | 1396 | -14.3% | 12,940 | 13,913 | -7.0% |
$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 SUVs like the $48,895 Chevrolet Tahoe.
^ In September, Infiniti sold 881 copies of the Q50's predecessor, the G sedan, and 454 Q60s to go along with 2742 Q50s.
* 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 2480 in September.
Cadillac's new CTS - 2282 September sales - starts at $45,100, but the lingering CTS Coupe is a sub-$40K car, and the wagon starts at $42,195.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2015
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - August 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2013
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - September 2014
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - September 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2014 YTD
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - September 2014
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - September 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2014 YTD
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - September 2014
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2015
Mercedes-Benz finished September as America's top-selling premium auto brand after Lexus wore the crown in both July and August. Through the first three quarters of 2015, the race between the top three brands is tight. Mercedes-Benz's non-Sprinter...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2014
Of October 2014's 15 best-selling vehicles in America with base prices above $45,000, five were GM products, four were Mercedes-Benzes, and three were BMWs. • U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - October 2014 YTD Click Chart To ExpandBMW...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - September 2014
BMW's top-selling 3-Series topped the premium brand leaderboard in September 2014, joined by the twelfth-ranked BMW 4-Series, as well. The 4-Series is a 3-Series offshoot. Indeed, sales of the 3-Series in September 2013 included cars that now operate...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - August 2014
Though closely challenged by the Lexus RX, the BMW 3-Series (and its 4-Series offshoot, formerly known as the 3-Series), ended August 2014 as America's best-selling premium brand vehicle. • U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - August...
- Top 15 Best-selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2013
BMW's iconic 3-Series nameplate - with help from the renamed 4-Series two-door-that-is-a-3-Series - was America's top-selling premium brand nameplate in September 2013. The 3-Series outsold the Lexus RX by 912 units and the Mercedes-Benz...