There’s a number of differences between the list you’ll see here of Canada’s 15 best-selling luxury vehicles in 2013 and the U.S. version of the same. But there’s one difference that really stands out: the presence of a Lincoln.
Ford’s premium division suffered from a 5% drop in Canadian sales in 2013 and a slim 0.6% decline in the U.S. But in Canada, Lincoln’s small output is MKX-centric. 56% of Lincoln’s Canadian sales in 2013 were derived from the Edge-based MKX.
Click Chart To Expand |
There’s an Infiniti on the U.S. version of this list, but none here. And while SUVs and crossovers make up seven of America’s 15 best-selling luxury vehicle nameplates, they account for ten of the top 15 in Canada, MKX included.
Look for the new MKC and a new MKX to make a big impact in 2014 and 2015 as Ford does its level best to make Lincoln relevant again. Cadillac, which is by no means a top-tier luxury player in Canada, sold 65% more vehicles in 2013 than Lincoln, twice as many in the month of December.
In terms of outright volume, 2013 was a record year for the Canadian auto industry. Likewise, Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche all set Canadian sales records. GM Canada says Cadillac set a retail sales record.
Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for any of these top-selling luxury vehicles 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.
2014 Year End • 2012 Year End • 2011 Year End • 2010 Year End
Rank
|
Luxury Vehicle
|
2013
|
2012
|
% Change |
#1
|
BMW 3-Series
|
12,507 | 11,234 | 11.3% |
#2
|
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
|
9356 | 10,616 | -11.9% |
#3
|
Lexus RX
|
7789 | 7130 | 9.2% |
#4
|
Audi Q5
|
7547 | 6152 | 22.7% |
#5
|
Acura MDX
|
6114 | 5242 | 16.6% |
#6
|
Acura RDX
|
6112 | 4726 | 29.3% |
#7
|
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
|
5979 | 5279 | 13.3% |
#8
|
Audi A4 *
|
5956 | 6118 | -2.6% |
#9
|
BMW X3
|
5658 | 5017 | 12.8% |
#10
|
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
|
4804 | 5539 | -13.3% |
#11
|
BMW X5
|
4704 | 3975 | 18.3% |
#12
|
Cadillac SRX
|
3765 | 3102 | 21.4% |
#13
|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class
|
3359 | 4083 | -21.4% |
#14
|
Cadillac ATS
|
3256 | 189 | 1623% |
#15
|
Lincoln MKX
|
3238 | 3792 | -14.6% |
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 $45K.
Rank
|
Luxury Vehicle
(Min. Base Price $45K) |
2013
|
2012
|
% Change |
#1
|
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
|
4804 | 5539 | -13.3% |
#2
|
BMW X5
|
4704 | 3975 | 18.3% |
#3
|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class
|
3359 | 4083 | -21.4% |
#4
|
BMW 5-Series
|
2717 | 2727 | -0.4% |
#5
|
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
|
2408 | 1846 | 30.4% |
#6
|
Volkswagen Touareg
|
2087 | 1975 | 5.7% |
#7
|
Porsche Cayenne
|
2050 | 1628 | 25.9% |
#8
|
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
|
1806 | 1634 | 10.5% |
#9
|
Audi Q7
|
1781 | 1653 | 7.7% |
#10
|
Chevrolet Tahoe
|
1632 | 1108 | 47.3% |
#11
|
GMC Yukon
|
1333 | 1188 | 12.2% |
#12
|
Chevrolet Suburban
|
1183 | 1022 | 15.8% |
#13
|
GMC Yukon XL
|
1171 | 1111 | 5.4% |
#14
|
Audi A6
|
1033 | 937 | 10.0% |
#15
|
Cadillac Escalade & ESV/EXT
|
802 | 920 | -12.8% |
Source: Automakers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales
* A4 sales include sales of the unreported Allroad
$50,000 CDN (before delivery) is an arbitrary borderline, but if GCBC was to follow this new system of designating only expensive vehicles as luxury vehicles, $50K seemed like a safe place to begin – it equals the average U.S. new car transaction price plus $15,000, plus another $5000 to account for Canadian increases. Plenty of less expensive vehicles with specific models feature prices above $50,000 – M, RS, and AMG models come to mind, specifically – but in the case of this list, we know that none of the registrations were of cars priced at $35,900, as would be the case with the BMW 320i, which costs less than a Hyundai Santa Fe 2.0T Limited. The biggest problem with a $50,000 minimum price of entry? Cars like the Cadillac XTS, which starts at $48,940, sporty cars like the $49,500 Audi TT, and SUVs like the $49,990 Acura MDX. Volkswagen recently increased the base Touareg’s price to $50,975; GM jacked up the base Tahoe/Yukon price up to $51,580. The new Cadillac CTS sedan’s base price is above $50,000, but not the base price for other cars in the CTS lineup. Yet.
Total Infiniti G/Q50/Q60 volume: up 1.5% to 3048 in 2013.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – 2014 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – 2012 Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – 2011 Year End
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – December 2013
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada – 2013 Year End
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings – 2013 Year End