Sales of limousines in Europe were down 6% in 2019 to just over 41,000 sales which makes this the second consecutive year of decline for the segment but the annual volume is still above that from 2008 to 2016. Traditional leader Mercedes-Benz S-Class is down a harsh 26% and is in danger of losing its top spot to the BMW 7-Series in 2020 as the S-Class will get a redesign this year while the 7 is still fresh from a facelift and has the momentum, having outsold its rival in Q4.
The last two times the BMW limousine finished on top were in 2009 when its previous generation was just launched the year before and the Mercedes was facelifted and in 2012 just before the current S-Class was launched. In third place we find the Porsche Panamera for the third consecutive year, down 11% and outsold in Q4 by the BMW 8-Series, of which the Gran Coupe hasn’t even started customer deliveries. This makes the 8 a real contender for the segment podium, unless Porsche can deliver enough Taycan EVs in 2020.
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