So were the twelfth and 14th. And, though you won’t see them ranked here, the 16th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 26th-best-selling luxury vehicles in December 2013 in Canada – SRX, Range Rover Sport, Infiniti QX60, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class – were SUVs or crossovers of some kind, too.
Two German cars led the way, however, despite the fact that their December 2013 volume was much lower than their December 2012 volume.
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class (sedan and coupe) outsold the BMW 3-Series (sedan and wagon) for just the first time this year. There’ll be a new C-Class next year, and based solely on its exterior style, it’s a winner, though being a winner in the sales standing is a whole ‘nuther subject.
In addition to the 3er’s 658 December sales, BMW Canada also sold 112 copies of the new 4-Series last month.
Among vehicles with base prices above $50,000, eleven of Canada’s top 15 best sellers in December were SUVs. The passenger car exceptions included the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (and its CLS-Class sibling which has its figures included in the E-Class’s total in Canada), the BMW 5-Series, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (and its CL-Class coupe offshoot), and the 15th-ranked Porsche 911.
December 2014 • January 2014 • November 2013 • December 2012
Rank
|
Luxury Vehicle
|
December 2013
|
December
2012 |
% Change
|
2013 | 2012 | % Change |
#1
|
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
|
812 | 1010 | -19.6% | 9356 | 10,616 | -11.9% |
#2
|
BMW 3-Series
|
658 | 940 | -30.0% | 12,507 | 11,234 | 11.3% |
#3
|
Audi Q5
|
624 | 564 | 10.6% | 7547 | 6152 | 22.7% |
#4
|
Acura MDX
|
598 | 506 | 18.2% | 6114 | 5242 | 16.6% |
#5
|
Lexus RX
|
572 | 540 | 5.9% | 7789 | 7130 | 9.2% |
#6
|
BMW X5
|
524 | 172 | 205% | 4704 | 3975 | 18.3% |
#7
|
Acura RDX
|
498 | 398 | 25.1% | 6112 | 4726 | 29.3% |
#8
|
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
|
457 | 402 | 13.7% | 4804 | 5539 | -13.3% |
#9
|
Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class
|
416 | 562 | -26.0% | 5979 | 5279 | 13.3% |
#10
|
Audi A4 *
|
412 | 429 | -4.0% | 5956 | 6118 | -2.6% |
#11
|
Cadillac ATS
|
385 | 72 | 435% | 3256 | 189 | 1623% |
#12
|
BMW X1
|
356 | 294 | 21.1% | 2910 | 4776 | -39.1% |
#13
|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class
|
321 | 254 | 26.4% | 3359 | 4083 | -17.7% |
#14
|
BMW X3
|
274 | 332 | -17.5% | 5658 | 5017 | 12.8% |
#15
|
BMW 5-Series
|
272 | 163 | 66.9% | 2717 | 2727 | -0.4% |
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
|
Vehicles
With Base Prices Above $50K |
December 2013
|
December
2012 |
% Change
|
2013 | 2012 | % Change |
#1
|
BMW X5
|
524 | 172 | 205% | 4704 | 3975 | 18.3% |
#2
|
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
|
457 | 402 | 13.7% | 4804 | 5539 | -13.3% |
#3
|
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class
|
321 | 254 | 26.4% | 3359 | 4083 | -17.7% |
#4
|
BMW 5-Series
|
272 | 163 | 66.9% | 2717 | 2727 | -0.4% |
#5
|
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
|
246 | 116 | 112% | 1806 | 1634 | 10.5% |
#6
|
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
|
180 | 196 | -8.2% | 2408 | 1846 | 30.4% |
#7
|
Porsche Cayenne
|
162 | 143 | 13.3% | 2050 | 1628 | 25.9% |
#8
|
Volkswagen Touareg
|
157 | 149 | 5.4% | 2087 | 1975 | 5.7% |
#9
|
Chevrolet Tahoe
|
140 | 85 | 64.7% | 1632 | 1108 | 47.3% |
#10
|
Audi Q7
|
122 | 122 | 0.0% | 1781 | 1653 | 7.7% |
#11
|
GMC Yukon
|
113 | 165 | -31.5% | 1333 | 1188 | 12.2% |
#12
|
GMC Yukon XL
|
106 | 66 | 60.6% | 1171 | 1111 | 5.4% |
#13
|
Mercedes-Benz S-Class & CL-Class
|
88 | 63 | 39.7% | 468 | 715 | -34.5% |
#14
|
Chevrolet Suburban
|
77 | 71 | 8.5% | 1183 | 1022 | 15.8% |
#15
|
Porsche 911
|
64 | 25 | 156% | 661 | 584 | 13.2% |
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.
Total Infiniti G/Q50/Q60 volume: up 63% to 187 in December; up 1.5% to 3048 in 2013.
RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – December 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – January 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – November 2013
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – December 2012
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings – December 2013 & Year End
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada – December 2013
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In Canada – 2013 Year End