Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America – July 2013

1 In 200 Vehicles Sold In America In July Was
Either A Range Rover, Cayenne, Escalade, Or Benz GL

The BMW 3-Series posted its third consecutive year-over-year increase in July 2013, a 29% jump which saw 3er sales climb by 2237 units.

The 3-Series expanded its luxury car sales lead over the Mercedes-Benz C-Class to 5546 units through seven months while growing its premium brand lead over the Lexus RX to 4797 units.

Premium brands competing in America generated nine of their 15 top sellers with car nameplates, leaving the RX, Acura MDX, Cadillac SRX, Acura RDX, Audi Q5, and Mercedes M-Class to fill in the gaps. 63% of the vehicles sold by Acura last month were crossovers. Lexus generated 63% of its volume with the RX and ES sedan.

Cadillac’s light truck line – SRX, Escalade, ESV, and EXT – accounted for 44% of the brand’s July sales – the XTS was Cadillac’s top-selling car. Audi produced slightly more than one-third of its July total with Q models, just as the ML, GL, G, and GLK did in Benz showrooms.

All 261 Vehicles Ranked By July 2013 YTD U.S. Sales

Click Chart For Larger View

GoodCarBadCar ranks premium brand vehicles in the first table below, and then showcases vehicles from any brand so long as their base prices are above $45,000. The Suburban’s $45,065 starting point – and its 39% improvement to 6181 sales in July – led to a Chevrolet being named the best-selling luxury vehicle in America in July 2013. That certainly shakes up the accepted definition of luxury.

The BMW 3-Series starts at $32,550.

Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these models 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.

July 2014 – August 2013 – June 2013 – July 2012

Rank	Luxury Vehicle	July 2013	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	BMW 3-Series	9890	+ 29.2%	59,052	+ 8.5%
#2	Lexus RX	8437	+ 14.7%	54,255	+ 5.6%
#3	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	7604	+ 34.3%	53,506	+ 23.4%
#4	Lexus ES	6089	+ 62.0%	39,582	+ 79.7%
#5	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	5605	+ 10.1%	33,836	– 4.6%
#6	Acura MDX	5551	+ 29.5%	23,765	– 16.3%
#7	Cadillac SRX	4943	+ 0.7%	28,933	– 4.7%
#8	BMW 5-Series	4857	– 14.8%	30,748	– 8.1%
#9	Acura RDX	3936	+ 47.7%	26,136	+ 87.5%
#10	Lexus IS	3641	+ 58.6%	14,427	– 12.5%
#11	Audi A4	3451	+ 0.06%	24,040	+ 9.2%
#12	Infiniti G	3410	– 53.7%	27,507	– 23.8%
#13	Audi Q5	3176	+ 52.0%	21,486	+ 37.4%
#14	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	3092	+ 72.7%	22,404	– 0.1%
#15	Cadillac XTS	2940	+ 69.1%	17,624	+ 607%

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. A4 sales include the Allroad.

Rank	Luxury Vehicle (Min. Base Price $50K)	July 2013	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	Chevrolet Suburban	6181	+ 39.1%	27,844	+ 1.2%
#2	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	5605	+ 10.1%	33,836	– 4.6%
#3	BMW 5-Series	4857	– 14.8%	30,748	– 8.1%
#4	GMC Yukon XL	3143	+ 11.5%	17,847	+ 51.3%
#5	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	3092	+ 72.7%	22,404	– 0.1%
#6	BMW X5	2674	+ 17.1%	24,133	+ 8.4%
#7	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	2165	– 13.2%	17,111	+ 21.6%
#8	Cadillac Escalade	1975	– 1.1%	12,638	+ 0.7%
#9	Lexus GS	1722	+ 3.6%	10,790	– 15.3%
#10	Porsche Cayenne	1563	+ 39.7%	11,082	+ 45.7%
#11	Land Rover Range Rover	1420	+ 111%	6740	+ 39.5%
#12	Audi Q7	1328	+ 49.0%	7908	+ 48.1%
#13	Lexus GX460	881	+ 8.4%	5296	– 7.1%
#14	BMW 7-Series	851	– 49.8%	5926	– 18.8%
#15	Porsche 911	794	+ 16.1%	6120	+ 10.9%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales
$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 $32,550, 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 $44,075.