September 2012 Large Luxury Car Sales And Large Luxury SUV Sales In America

Sales of the Jaguar XJ, America's 208th-best-selling vehicle, are down 6% this year. XJ sales last year were the highest they'd been since 2005. 2011 year-end XJ volume was, however, down 50% from '04 levels.

The BMW 7-Series, often the monthly winner in the U.S. large luxury category, fell to sixth in its seven car class in September 2012. 7-Series sales plunged 47% year-over-year. Monthly volume has been inconsistent all year long.

Large Luxury Car Sales Chart
Click Either Chart For Larger View

Audi A8 sales shot up 34% last month but remain off last year's pace. A8 volume last year was higher than it had been since 2004. The Lexus LS has also taken a hit this year, but that was expected. A new LS will redeem some of the big Lexus's market share. The LS was 9145-units stronger than the next-best Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 2007.

Update: September's large luxury results now include the BMW 6-Series. The Gran Coupe may not offer the lounging capacity of a long-wheelbase S-Class, but on pricing grounds, it's far beyond traditional midsize alternatives. Keep in mind, the 6-Series remains a part of the premium sporty car sales breakdown.

U.S. Sept. YTD Sales: All 265 Vehicles Ranked

The S-Class was America's best-selling large luxury car in September, although sales of the biggest Benz sedan slid 36% last month and are down 7.5% this year. Conversely, the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class is also America's best-selling large luxury SUV. But GL-Class sales, though down 23% in September, are up 2% this year. The GL is 1121 units ahead of the Escalade family. It's perhaps not wise to expect the upcoming fourth-generation Land Rover Range Rover to sell like an Escalade or GL, but a Range Rover increase nevertheless seems predictable.

Large Luxury SUV Sales Chart

Only six of these 15 luxury flagships on sale in America posted year-over-year sales increases in September 2012. America's new vehicle market was 12.8% better than it was a year ago. So far this year, the large luxury car category is down 3.9%. America's large luxury SUV category is up just 1%.

Historical monthly and yearly sales results for 282 different vehicles can be accessed through the first dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats home or, for non-mobile users, near the top right of this page. Click any model from the tables below to go directly to its specific sales results page.

After the jump you'll find detailed September and year-to-date sales info for six cars and eight SUVs. Smaller and less expensive cars and SUVs were profiled earlier. You'll find big cars like the Hyundai Equus and Cadillac XTS there. The two accompanying charts rank cars by volume rather than listing alphabetically; click any of them for a larger view.

Large Luxury Car	September 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Audi A8	551	+ 34.1%	3970	- 5.0%
BMW 6-Series	609	+ 80.2%	5482	+ 147%
BMW 7-Series	464	- 46.6%	8103	+ 4.6%
Jaguar XJ	422	- 8.7%	3937	- 6.3%
Lexus LS	558	- 23.5%	4916	- 22.8%
Mercedes-Benz S-Class	925	- 36.1%	8214	- 7.5%
Porsche Panamera	606	+ 17.9%	5984	+ 15.4%

Large Luxury SUV	September 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
Cadillac Escalade & Escalade ESV/EXT	1696	- 29.7%	16,437	- 7.0%
Infiniti QX56	1105	- 8.4%	9490	+ 5.4%
Land Rover Range Rover	564	- 26.8%	6054	- 16.9%
Lexus LX570	372	+ 40.4%	3760	+ 62.6%
Lincoln Navigator	846	+ 28.2%	5822	+ 3.5%
Mercedes-Benz G-Class	83	- 30.3%	751	- 24.7%
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	1960	- 22.9%	17,558	+ 2.1%
Toyota Land Cruiser	307	+ 133%	2074	+ 69.2%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America - October 2012
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America - August 2012
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America - September 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2012
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - September 2012
Small/Entry & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - September 2012
Small & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In America - September 2012