Small And Midsize Luxury Car Sales Figures In Canada – October 2013 YTD

Acura TL Sales Slid 6% In October And Are Down 27% YTD

As we’ve already seen with the biggest and most costly luxury cars, Canadians are slowly turning away from high-priced premium machines in 2013. Flagship passenger cars at Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche are collectively down 10% through the first ten months of 2013. 

One rung down the ladder, the segment led by cars like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series – and liberally bordered by much less costly cars like the Lexus ES and Acura TL – is down 13%.

Click Chart To Expand

Where have the buyers gone? Car buyers are still buying, as the Canadian automobile market will likely beat all records for total volume in 2013. But SUVs/CUVs from luxury brands are earning an increasingly large chunk of market share, and lower-end premium brand cars are attracting a greater number of buyers, as well.

There are specific reasons for the increase at the low end and the decrease at the high end. For example, the Cadillac CTS is ignored now as GM readies its impressive replacement. (Don’t forget the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the leading large luxury car, is in a replacement phase.) 

At the same time, “small” luxury is growing. Cars like the Cadillac ATS and Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class prove that there are more options for buyers who want something that’s relatively affordable but also premium in stature. 

October was the Cadillac ATS’s best Canadian sales month in the car’s 13-month history. Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class sales are low for now, but October was only the CLA’s second month on the market. Over the last three months, Lexus’s new IS is up 124%. BMW Canada began selling the new 4-Series – formerly the 3-Series coupe and convertible – in October. 191 were registered. For just the second time this year, sales of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class increased, year-over-year.

You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly Canadian auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBC’s Sales Stats page. These tables are now sortable, so you can rank small and midsize luxury cars any which way you like. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page. You’ll notice that the + icon has been removed from year-over-year increases, but you can still identify year-over-year declines with the – symbol and red font.

Click Column Headers To Sort – October 2014 – November 2013 – September 2013 – October 2012

Small/Entry  Luxury Car	October 2013	October 2012	% Change	2013 YTD	2012 YTD	% Change
Acura CSX	—	1	– 100%	—	27	– 100%
Acura ILX *	156	400	– 61.0%	2834	1487	90.6%
Acura TSX	63	259	– 75.7%	632	1221	– 48.2%
Audi A3	2	99	– 98.0%	354	1272	– 72.2%
Audi A4 ^	606	598	1.3%	5113	5245	– 2.5%
Audi A5 *	211	195	8.2%	2042	1784	14.5%
BMW 1-Series *	23	100	– 77.0%	595	969	– 38.6%
BMW 3-Series	1079	1000	7.9%	10,934	9384	16.5%
BMW 4-Series *	191	—	—	191	—	—
Cadillac ATS	365	56	552%	2528	56	4414%
Infiniti G/Q60 ^	41	230	– 82.2%	1733	2744	– 36.8%
Infiniti Q50 ^	251	—	—	856	—	—
Lexus CT200h	88	178	– 50.6%	892	1407	– 36.6%
Lexus HS250h	—	—	—	—	108	– 100%
Lexus IS	352	176	100%	2022	1692	19.5%
Mercedes-Benz B-Class *	291	—	—	2717	2	135,750%
Mercedes-Benz C-Class	731	679	7.7%	7736	8777	– 11.9%
Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class	175	—	—	283	—	—
Saab 9-3	—	—	—	—	15	– 100%
Volvo C30	6	19	– 68.4%	307	567	– 45.9%
Volvo S60	130	83	56.6%	1154	1410	– 18.2%
—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	4761	4073	16.9%	42,923	38,167	12.5%

Midsize Luxury Car	October 2013	October 2012	% Change	2013 YTD	2012 YTD	% Change
Acura RLX/RL ^	33	4	725%	160	25	540%
Acura TL	231	245	– 5.7%	1994	2724	– 26.8%
Audi A6	90	89	1.1%	874	802	9.0%
Audi A7	65	91	– 28.6%	593	805	– 26.3%
BMW 5-Series	351	204	72.1%	2118	2342	– 9.6%
Cadillac CTS	93	145	– 35.9%	795	1967	– 59.6%
Cadillac DTS	—	—	—	1	4	– 75.0%
Cadillac STS	—	—	—	—	2	– 100%
Cadillac XTS	56	51	9.8%	613	154	298%
Hyundai Equus	6	8	– 25.0%	68	98	– 30.6%
Infiniti M	13	35	– 62.9%	228	275	– 17.1%
Jaguar XF	56	15	273%	491	305	61.5%
Lexus ES	267	352	– 24.1%	2689	2019	33.2%
Lexus GS	41	59	– 30.5%	559	804	– 30.5%
Lincoln MKS	21	28	– 25.0%	226	444	– 49.1%
Lincoln MKZ	165	26	535%	1298	780	66.4%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & CLS-Class ^	340	338	0.6%	2670	3599	– 25.8%
Mercedes-Benz R-Class	3	36	– 91.7%	115	422	– 72.7%
Saab 9-5	—	—	—	—	6	– 100%
Volvo S80	5	9	– 44.4%	46	187	– 75.4%
Volvo XC70 *	60	60	0.0%	542	657	– 17.5%
—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	1731	1795	– 3.6%	16,080	18,421	– 12.7%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
* Indicates a vehicle which is also shown in another GCBC segment breakdown
GCBC isn’t here to break down segments, an impossible task for any group, but to display sales data for the sake of comparison. The more ways sales data can be displayed, the better, right? This explains why you’ll see the XC70 listed with luxury SUVs and the Acura ILX with mainstream cars… because readers have wanted it both ways. You can always find the sales results for EVERY vehicle and form your own competitive sets by using the All Vehicle Rankings posts.
^ Acura combines sales figures of the outgoing RL with the new RLX. Mercedes-Benz’s Canadian sales figures combine the E-Class with the CLS-Class.
^ Audi Canada’s A4 sales figures include sales of the Allroad
^ Total Infiniti G/Q50/Q60 sales: down 5.6% to 2589 YTD, up 27% to 292 in October. Total G sedan and Q50 sales: up 1.1% to 2128 YTD, up 46.7% to 267 in October.

RECOMMENDED READING
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada – October 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada – November 2013 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada – September 2013 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In Canada – October 2012 YTD
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In Canada – October 2013
Canada Auto Sales Brand Rankings – October 2013 YTD
Large Luxury Car Sales In Canada – October 2013 YTD