February 2013 Large Luxury Car Sales In America

Between the seven upper-echelon sedans (for which sales figures are published) available in America, 4389 found buyers in February 2013. 21% of this small market was owned by Mercedes-Benz, the maker of the segment's most well-known car. 9% of the buyers chose a Porsche Panamera, the segment's least attractive car.

All 251 Vehicles Ranked By February & 2013 YTD Sales

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Another 17.5% opted for the BMW 6-Series, the only car here that's available as a coupe or convertible. (Mercedes-Benz sold 48 CL-Class Coupes, a car that is basically an S-Class Coupe, one we show along with the 6-Series in our premium sporty car charts elsewhere on GCBC.) BMW's 6-Series outsold BMW's own 7-Series sedan. The 6-Series Gran Coupe sedan costs more than the 6er coupe but less than the 6-Series sedan. In 640i trim, the Gran Coupe costs $2900 more than a 740i.

GCBC makes the tables below sortable, so you can arrange vehicles by February or year-to-date volume, for example, rather than the present alphabetical order. Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these vehicles can be accessed by clicking the model name or by making a selection at GCBC's Sales Stats page. That's where you'll find out that Maserati sold 159 vehicles in total in February. Bentley sold 180.

The Cadillac XTS is America's 124st-best-selling vehicle through the first two months of 2013. Lexus's LS ranks 167th, one position ahead of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Click Column Headers To Sort - January 2013's Edition - February 2012's Edition

Large Luxury Car	February 2013	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Audi A8	395	+ 22.3%	899	+ 38.9%
BMW 6-Series *	770	+ 45.6%	1194	+ 27.3%
BMW 7-Series	709	- 36.9%	1292	- 38.5%
Jaguar XJ	404	+ 22.1%	805	+ 13.7%
Lexus LS	803	+ 55.3%	1880	+ 72.5%
Mercedes-Benz S-Class	923	+ 16.4%	1861	+ 17.9%
Porsche Panamera	385	- 24.7%	973	- 19.9%

Large (Cheaper)  Luxury Cars	February 2013	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Cadillac DTS *	-----	- 100%	3	- 98.1%
Cadillac XTS *	2169	-----	4069	-----
Hyundai Equus *	270	- 4.9%	523	- 9.2%
Lincoln MKS *	922	+ 7.6%	1831	+ 14.6%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
* Also displayed in another GCBC segment breakdown

RECOMMENDED READING
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - January 2013
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - February 2012
Top 15 Best-Selling Expensive Cars In America - February 2013
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - February 2013
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - February 2013

January 2013 Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada

Bizarrely, the best-selling large luxury car in Canada in January 2013 was the Jaguar XJ. 

Jaguar. Best-selling. A best-selling Jaguar. 

No matter how you string the words together, they sound odd. Last year, the XJ trailed all of its rivals save for the Lexus LS. But in January, Jaguar Canada sold as many XJs as in the previous two months combined. In the four previous Januarys, Jaguar Canada sold 36 XJs, just one more than one was sold last month. 

The XJ ended the month nine units ahead of the second-place Mercedes-Benz S-Class, figures for which include the CL-Class coupe. 

Miraculous though this outcome may seem, we should put it all into perspective. Canadians buy fewer vehicles in January than in any other month. The 31 days of January account for 8.5% of a calendar year, but last year January was responsible for just 5.8% of new vehicle volume. 

All 240 Vehicles Ranked By January 2013 Canadian Sales

Indeed, last January's 7-Series volume was worth just 4.1% of that car's year end total. If the addition of all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ sedans and V6-engined Jaguar XJs can continue to generate huge 218% year-over-year increases, Jaguar will end 2013 with close to 600 XJ sales. 

Click Chart For Larger View

More importantly, from a let's-keep-it-real perspective, is the fact that the category means little volume-wise. As a profit source, well, yeah, large luxury limos pull in wads of cash for automakers. But in Canada, the ten cars shown in this post accounted for just 0.2% of the new vehicle deliveries in January. Expensive SUVs are significantly more popular.

Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these models, including the less costly big luxury cars in the second table, can be accessed by clicking the model names in the tables below. The tables are now sortable, just click the column headers. 

Click Column Headers To Sort

Large Luxury Car	January 2013	% Change	Year  To Date	YTD % Change
Audi A8	15	- 11.8%	15	- 11.8%
BMW 6-Series *	18	- 5.3%	18	- 5.3%
BMW 7-Series	17	- 45.2%	17	- 45.2%
Jaguar XJ	35	+ 218%	35	+ 218%
Lexus LS	11	+ 22.2%	11	+ 22.2%
Mercedes-Benz S-Class  & CL-Class	26	+ 8.3%	26	+ 8.3%
Porsche Panamera	19	- 50.0%	19	- 50.0%

Large (Cheaper)  Luxury Cars	January 2013	% Change	Year  To Date	YTD % Change
Cadillac XTS *	60	-----	60	-----
Hyundai Equus *	4	- 55.6%	4	- 55.6%
Lincoln MKS *	24	- 4.0%	24	- 4.0%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
* Indicates a vehicle that is also shown in another GCBC segment breakdown

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - December & 2012 Year End
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - January 2012
Top 15 Best-Selling Expensive Cars In Canada - January 2013
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - January 2013
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - January 2013

January 2013 Large Luxury Car Sales In America

Surging LS sales propelled the biggest Lexus to a segment victory in January 2013. The Lexus LS has a big advantage over cars like the similarly-popular Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Its base price, $71,990, is $23,010 lower than the base price of Mercedes-Benz's least expensive V8 S-Class. 

In fact, the LS's price puts it closer to the Hyundai Equus (shown in a separate table below with other not-quite-Panamera-fighting-sedans) than it is to the S-Class. The same could be said of the Jaguar XJ, Audi A8

All 247 Vehicles Ranked By January 2013 Sales

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During the first ten months of 2012, Lexus couldn't manage more than 1000 units in a month. It's safe to assume that Lexus won't sell 35,000 LS460s and LS600 hybrids this year like they did in 2007, when the overall market was larger. But 13,000-16,000 units seems possible. Last year, the segment-leading S-Class sold 11,794 times.

In this and other segment breakdowns, GoodCarBadCar has made some changes so observers can see all possible comparables in one place. In this large luxury car sales post, however, the accompanying chart does not include the four sub-$60K cars which, on pricing grounds, GCBC also displays with midsize luxury cars.

The tables below are now sortable - click any column's header to arrange by volume or year-over-year change. As always, you can click any model name to find historical monthly and yearly sales figures.

Click Column Headers To Sort

Large Luxury Car	January 2013	% Change	Year  To Date	YTD % Change
Audi A8	504	+ 55.6%	504	+ 55.6%
BMW 6-Series	424	+ 3.7%	424	+ 3.7%
BMW 7-Series	583	- 40.3%	583	- 40.3%
Jaguar XJ	401	+ 6.4%	401	+ 6.4%
Lexus LS	1077	+ 88.0%	1077	+ 88.0%
Mercedes-Benz S-Class	938	+ 19.5%	938	+ 19.5%
Porsche Panamera	588	- 16.4%	588	- 16.4%

Large (Cheaper)  Luxury Cars	January  2013	% Change	Year  To Date	YTD % Change
Cadillac DTS *	3	- 96.6%	3	- 96.6%
Cadillac XTS *	1900	-----	1900	-----
Hyundai Equus *	253	- 13.4%	253	- 13.4%
Lincoln MKS *	909	+ 22.7%	909	+ 22.7%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
* Indicates a vehicle that is also shown in another GCBC segment breakdown

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - February 2013
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - December & 2012 Year End
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - January 2012
Top 15 Best-Selling Expensive Cars In America - January 2013
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - January 2013
Luxury Car Sales In America - January 2013

December 2012 And 2012 Year End Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada

The BMW 7-Series ended 2012 as Canada's best-selling large luxury car. With a huge December performance, BMW Canada overcame what was a 53-unit deficit at the end of November. You'll want to have a look at those November results, because they come with a picture of a red Porsche Panamera with red wheels, and it's nauseating enough to give you an excuse to leave your desk and find something to eat. Salty crackers, maybe, or nachos with hummus.

2012 Large Luxury Car Sales Chart
Click Either Chart For Larger View

As for that huge December performance, BMW's biggest sedan outsold the second, third, and fourth-best-selling cars in the class - combined - last month, and did so with 17 units to spare. The second-ranked S-Class (with its CL-Class coupe sibling) was down 16%. Porsche Panamera sales shot up from 16 in December 2011. Lexus LS sales doubled. Don't go thinking the LS hybrid had anything to do with it. Lexus didn't sell a single LS600hL in December and only sold five (down 50%) in all of 2012.

In Canada, the basic price of a BMW 7-Series is $106,600. S-Class pricing at Mercedes-Benz stores starts at $118,100 for the S400 Hybrid, $119,900 for the diesel S350, and $119,400 for the short-wheelbase S550.

All 262 Vehicles Ranked By 2012 Canadian Sales

December 2012 Large
Luxury Car Sales Chart

Meanwhile, the new 3.0T Audi A8 starts at $89,900; Jaguar XJ pricing starts at $89,000. Six-cylinder Panamera pricing begins at $87,500. The Lexus LS is an $82,950 car. (BMW's 6-Series comes in coupe, sedan, and convertible bodystyles, starting at $98,900, $99,800, and $109,900 respectively.)

Paying more for a top tier luxury car doesn't seem to be a problem for Canadians who have this kind of money to spend on a sedan. Although, the 7-Series may actually represent a slight turn toward value: the S-Class and CL outsold the 7er by 212 units last year.

As always, you can find historical monthly and yearly sales figures for these cars and any other vehicle by selecting a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats home or by clicking the model name in the table below. Fortunately, the table is now sortable. Click the column headers in the tables to sort by December 2012 volume or 2012 year end volume or re-sort alphabetically.

Click On Column Headers To Sort

Large Luxury Car	December  2012	% Change	2012  Year End	YTD % Change
Audi A8	20	+ 25.0%	234	+ 10.9%
BMW 6-Series	32	- 5.9%	469	+ 129%
BMW 7-Series	156	+ 346%	755	+ 41.9%
Jaguar XJ	21	+ 5.0%	178	- 21.6%
Lexus LS	34	+ 100%	150	- 3.8%
Mercedes-Benz  S-Class & CL-Class	63	- 16.0%	715	- 3.9%
Porsche Panamera	42	+ 163%	422	+ 17.5%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - January 2013
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - December & 2011 Year End
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - November 2012
Small/Entry & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada - December & 2012 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - 2012 Year End
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - December & 2012 Year End

December 2012 And 2012 Year End Large Luxury Car Sales And Large Luxury SUV Sales In America

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Was The
Best-Selling Large Luxury Car In America In 2012

2012 Large Luxury Car Sales Chart
Click Any Chart For Larger View

For Lexus, using its big LS sedan to outsell the flagship sedans from Europe hasn't turned out to be all that successful a plan in the last couple years. December 2012 was different, however, as sales of the $71,990 Lexus LS were significantly better than that of Mercedes-Benz's S-Class... but still below those of the BMW 7-Series.

At the end of the year, it was the Mercedes-Benz S-Class that once again claimed the title as America's favourite big luxury car. Sales of the S-Class were down, however. That wasn't an uncommon theme in the segment in 2012. BMW 7-Series sales dropped 2% as the 6-Series Gran Coupe likely stole some sales toward the end of the year. Jaguar XJ sales dropped 7%, and the aforementioned Lexus LS slid 13%. Even the gains produced by the Porsche Panamera and Audi A8 were well below the overall industry's 13.4% improvement. 

December 2012 Large
Luxury Car Sales Chart

Again, December was a good month for those in America who sold the largest and most expensive luxury car sales. The Audi A8 had its best month of the year. BMW's 6-Series cracked 1000 units for the first time in 2012. December was the 7-Series' second-best U.S. sales month of 2012 and the fourth-best sales month in the last three years. Lexus sold more LS sedans in November, but December was the LS's third-best sales month in the last three years.

2012 Large Luxury SUV Sales Chart

As far as large luxury SUVs go, don't read too far into the Land Rover Range Rover's year end year-over-year decline. For one thing, Range Rover sales in 2011 were rather strong, stronger than they'd been since 2007. And rather obviously, December marks the beginning of a rather likely Range Rover resurgence, as the fourth-generation SUV is sure to attract plenty of attention from those who seek to buy (by which I mean lease) an expensive luxury SUV. Range Rover sales in December 2012 were stronger than they'd been since March 2011.

All 266 Vehicles Ranked By 2012 Year End U.S. Sales

The Infiniti QX56 outsold the regular-wheelbase Cadillac Escalade in 2012. After outselling the Lincoln Navigator in 2010 and 2011, the long-wheelbase Cadillac Escalade ESV struggled a bit in 2012 and did not accomplish that feat. Sales of the Lexus LX570 and Toyota Land Cruiser are rising quickly (in comparison to what the LX and Land Cruiser managed last year) but they remain low-volume SUVs in a surprisingly high-volume segment. 

December 2012 Large
Luxury SUV Sales Chart

The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class remains the volume king among large SUVs. Sales rose 4% this year to 26,042, just shy of the GL's all-time best year of 2007.

Looking for the Hyundai Equus or Cadillac XTS or Porsche Cayenne or Audi Q7? They're posted alongside vehicles in other segments, with "midsize" luxury cars and "midsize" luxury SUVs, names which mean little but do offer some definition. You can always find the sales figures for any vehicle by selecting a make and/or model at GCBC's Sales Stats home. 

The tables visible after the jump are now sortable: click any heading in either table to rearrange vehicles by December 2012 U.S. sales volume or year-over-year percentage change. Click the headings at the far left to sort back to alphabetical order. It's a small change, but one that makes the surveying of automotive sales data that much easier at GoodCarBadCar.net.

Click On Column Headers To Sort

Large Luxury Car	December 2012	% Change	2012 Year End	YTD % Change
Audi A8	900	+ 32.7%	6002	+ 5.3%
BMW 6-Series	1037	+ 43.4%	8208	+ 110%
BMW 7-Series	1422	+ 16.7%	11,098	- 1.8%
Jaguar XJ	389	+ 1.3%	4852	- 7.3%
Lexus LS	1286	+ 21.8%	8345	- 12.8%
Mercedes-Benz S-Class	1110	+ 3.4%	11,794	- 3.8%
Porsche Panamera	483	+ 1.5%	7614	+ 10.7%

Large Luxury SUV	December 2012	% Change	2012 Year End	YTD % Change
Cadillac Escalade & Escalade ESV/EXT	2554	- 21.9%	22,632	- 11.3%
Infiniti QX56	2232	+ 28.6%	15,310	+ 14.0%
Land Rover Range Rover	1034	+ 6.6%	7843	- 19.6%
Lexus LX570	494	+ 52.5%	5005	+ 58.0%
Lincoln Navigator	1082	+ 7.2%	8371	+ 4.4%
Mercedes-Benz G-Class	168	+ 205%	1330	+ 11.7%
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	3111	+ 20.7%	26,042	+ 3.6%
Toyota Land Cruiser	316	+ 91.5%	2895	+ 74.2%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - January 2013
Large Luxury SUV Sales In America - January 2013
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America - December & 2011 Year End
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America - November 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2012 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2012
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - December & 2012 Year End

November 2012 Large Luxury Car And Large Luxury SUV Sales Figures

Yikes. An Ugly Red Car With Red Wheels?

Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Porsche posted huge year-over-year Canadian sales increases with their flagship sedans in November. Of course, these are very low-volume cars, and massive gains - 89%, 160%, 84%, and 156%, respectively for the A8, 7-Series, LS, and Panamera - translate to relatively small volume increases. 

Large Luxury Car Sales Chart
Click Either Chart For Larger View

In November 2012, the A8 brought in an extra eight sales for Audi compared with November 2011. BMW rather fittingly added 77 sales via the 7-Series. Lexus LS sales improved by 16 units. Porsche sold 25 more Panameras last month than in the same period a year earlier. 

This doesn't mean the cars aren't huge sources of profit for luxury automakers. But in terms of the cars you see on Canadian roadways, the eight cars from the first table below accounted for just 0.27% of all the new vehicles sold in Canada in November 2012.

In the second table you'll see the significantly more popular large luxury SUV category. Between the GL-Class and very rare G-Class (there is no available breakdown between the two models), Mercedes-Benz found 189 buyers for their biggest SUVs, triple the number achieved by Mercedes-Benz's biggest sedan and its coupe sibling.

Large Luxury SUV Sales Chart

As always, you can click any model name in the tables visible after the jump to see historical monthly and yearly sales figures. Or you can select any make or model at GCBC's Sales Stats home. Any vehicle you can't find tabled here will be listed elsewhere - you can select from segments like small luxury cars and midsize SUVs at GCBC's The Tally page.

Click either of the accompanying charts for a larger view. In those charts, cars and utility vehicles are ranked by volume - they're listed alphabetically in the tables below.

Large Luxury Car	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Audi A8	17	+ 88.9%	214	+ 9.7%
BMW 6-Series	44	+ 69.2%	437	+ 156%
BMW 7-Series	125	+ 160%	599	+ 20.5%
Jaguar XJ	14	- 12.5%	157	- 24.2%
Lexus LS	35	+ 84.2%	116	- 16.5%
Mercedes-Benz  S-Class & CL-Class	64	+ 8.5%	652	- 2.5%
Porsche Panamera	41	+ 156%	380	+ 10.8%

Large Luxury SUV	November 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Cadillac Escalade & Escalade ESV/EXT	88	- 25.4%	834	- 17.4%
Infiniti QX56	39	- 26.4%	346	- 20.8%
Land Rover Range Rover	27	- 38.6%	424	+ 15.2%
Lexus LX570	20	+ 186%	245	+ 136%
Lincoln Navigator	46	- 19.3%	518	- 8.0%
Mercedes-Benz  GL-Class & G-Class	189	- 7.8%	1761	+ 12.3%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada - December & 2012 Year End
Large Luxury SUV Sales In Canada - December & 2012 Year End
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In Canada - October 2012
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In Canada - November 2011
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings - November 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada - November 2012