Midsize Luxury Car Sales And Small/Entry Luxury Car Sales In America - May 2012

For the first time since December of last year, the best-selling luxury brand vehicle in America can not be found listed among the cars in this post. Traditionally America's leading luxury car, the BMW 3-Series slid 22% in May 2012. The sometimes-top-of-the-class Mercedes-Benz C-Class reported a year-over-year increase of 35%. Neither of the two smaller German sedans outsold the Lexus RX.

May 2012 Small/Entry Luxury Car Sales Chart
Click Either Chart For A Larger View

So far this year BMW has sold more than 40,000 3-Series sedans, coupes, convertibles, and wagons. Availability of the new F30-gen 3-Series sedan at U.S. dealers remains slim, however, so June results mightn't be the best, either. 

There's a new entry-level lux-brand car in May's sales results. An Acura-ized Honda Civic doesn't have the credentials of a C-Class or maybe even a Lexus CT200h outside the country club, but the Acura ILX is an upper-crust version of a mainstream car. It's early days. You can expect to see Acura selling more than 168 copies of the ILX in the coming months. Acura has been selling a premium Civic in Canada for years, as the 1.6EL, 1.7EL, and as the CSX. 

On the subject of Acura, be aware that 390 of the TSXs sold were TSX Sport Wagons. Sales of the Sport Wagon are up 8% year-to-date. That's enough to make one wonder how good the Cadillac ATS sedan (pictured above) would look in wagon form.

Its year-to-date lead has not disappeared, but the Mercedes-Benz E-Class was not the best-selling midsize luxury car in America in May 2012. BMW 5-Series sales jumped 45% last month after rising 46% in May 2011. The 5-Series sedan and Gran Turismo outsold the E-Class sedan, coupe, convertible, and wagon by more than 500 units in May. Mercedes-Benz's CLS-Class also lost to its cut-price Audi rival, the A7, by 49 units. Premium Japanese brands combined for 9111 sales of the RL, TL, M, ES, and GS.

May 2012 Midsize Luxury Car Sales Chart

Find it hard to believe that Hyundai sold 3828 Genesis sedans in the United States in May? U.S. Genesis sales figures include the Genesis Coupe. Hyundai Canada separates the sales figures of these two cars, and while the Canadian automobile market is undoubtedly very different from the U.S. market, it's worth noting that only 33% of Canadian Genesis sales are of the sedan variety. If this holds true in America, it would mean Hyundai USA sold approximately 1260 Genesis sedans in May; approximately 5200 so far this year. Those aren't bad numbers. 

As for the Hyundai Equus, it's also here, rather than with the large luxury cars, because of its price, not its size. The Equus costs $790 less than an E550 Benz. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class starts at $91,850, $25,850 beyond a topped-up Equus.

Monthly and yearly sales figures for these luxury cars and every other vehicle currently on sale in North America can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page or at GCBC's Sales Stats home. GoodCarBadCar ranked the 30 best-selling premium vehicles in America earlier this week. After the jump, you'll see 32 luxury cars listed alphabetically. Click the two accompanying charts for a larger view of the same cars ranked by May 2012 volume.

Small/Entry Luxury Car	May 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Acura ILX	168	-----	168	-----
Acura TSX	2880	+ 64.5%	15,012	+ 21.1%
Audi A3	629	- 5.3%	2958	+ 0.6%
Audi A4	3058	- 4.2%	14,852	- 2.3%
BMW 1-Series	628	+ 51.7%	3463	- 13.3%
BMW 3-Series	6321	- 22.1%	40,022	+ 15.3%
Cadillac CTS	4161	- 3.0%	20,437	- 10.4%
Infiniti G	5195	+ 34.9%	23,473	- 4.3%
Lexus CT200h	1549	+ 241%	8059	+ 128%
Lexus HS250h	21	- 90.5%	612	- 48.9%
Lexus IS	2656	+ 54.9%	11,622	+ 2.15
Mercedes-Benz C-Class	6649	+ 34.7%	31,180	+ 22.9%
Volvo C30	233	- 26.3%	1091	- 16.0%
Volvo S60	2125	- 11.6%	9800	+ 13.7%

Midsize Luxury Car	May 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Acura RL	50	- 13.8%	182	- 76.2%
Acura TL	3262	+ 48.5%	14,676	+ 11.9%
Audi A6	1693	+ 260%	6839	+ 125%
Audi A7	792	- 2.5%	3597	+ 195%
BMW 5-Series	6102	+ 45.3%	22,377	+ 7.0%
Cadillac STS	13	- 90.8%	120	- 95.0%
Hyundai Equus	351	+ 58.8%	1630	+ 39.2%
Hyundai Genesis	3828	+ 38.2%	15,608	+ 26.8%
Infiniti M	866	+ 20.1%	4126	- 14.4%
Jaguar XF	475	- 8.8%	2484	+ 28.7%
Lexus ES350	2937	+ 22.4%	14,485	+ 0.3%
Lexus GS	1996	+ 552%	9050	+ 405%
Lincoln MKS	1128	+ 24.2%	5713	+ 44.1%
Lincoln MKZ	2458	- 2.6%	11,402	- 1.3%
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class	743	+ 1855%	3147	+ 433%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class	5576	- 3.0%	24,777	- 5.3%
Volvo S80	365	- 46.9%	1421	- 30.4%
Volvo XC70	464	+ 3.6%	2157	+ 5.1%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Midsize Luxury & Small/Entry Luxury Car Sales In America - June 2012
Small/Entry Luxury & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - April 2012
Small/Entry Luxury & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - May 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - May 2012
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - May 2012
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In America - May 2012
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - May 2012