Of the 4761 large luxury sedans sold in the United States in October, very nearly two-thirds were German. Audi’s share of the market stood at 8% in October 2011 as sales jumped 991% from the same period last year. Despite the significant increase, Audi’s new A8 is still the least popular car in its class.
At the top sits the Mercedes-Benz S-class. Sales of the biggest Benz, nearly 10,000 of which have been sold this year, fell 48% in October, however, making way for the BMW 7-Series. 7-Series sales jumped 62% in October but are down 15% this year. But the 7-Series wasn’t the class-leading car in October 2011, either.
October 2011’s large luxury crown is worn by the Lexus LS. Sales of the LS sales were down, but only by 16 units. That’s a much better performance than Lexus has achieved on year-to-date terms, as the big Lexus has struggled since Japan’s March 11 earthquake. Year-to-date LS sales are down by 1931 units. Lexus owned a quarter of America’s large luxury car market last month, a fact which is very visible in the chart below.
Keep scrolling after the jump for a look at more detailed sales figures on large limos and large luxury sport-utility vehicles.
Large Luxury Car
|
October 2011
|
%
Change |
Year To Date
|
YTD
% Change |
Audi A8
|
382
|
+ 991% | 4561 | + 565% |
BMW 7-Series
|
1103
|
+ 62% | 8853 | – 15% |
Jaguar XJ
|
552
|
+ 12% | 4752 | + 48% |
Lexus LS
|
1186
|
– 1% | 7558 | – 20% |
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
|
927
|
– 48% | 9804 | – 15% |
Porsche Panamera
|
611
|
– 18% | 5795 | – 8% |
Mercedes-Benz’s S-Class may have struggled in October, but the GL-Class did not. Sales of the seriously capable Benz were up 13% last month and have improved at a 22% clip through the first ten months of this year.
At Lexus, the company’s GL-Class-rival was way down from what was an already low-volume October 2010. LX570 sales are down 14% this year but slid 34% in October even as the brand’s LS limo regained control of its segment.
Over at Cadillac, 62% of Escalade sales were formed by the regular-wheelbase Escalade. Another 31% were long-wheelbase Escalade ESVs. 7% of Escalade sales were of the Avalanche-based EXT variety. Details on these SUVs and a handful of others can be seen in the table and chart below.
Large Luxury SUV
|
October 2011
|
%
Change |
Year To Date
|
YTD
% Change |
Cadillac Escalade
& Escalade ESV/EXT |
2309
|
– 12% | 19,985 | – 4% |
Infiniti QX56
|
1244
|
+ 8% | 10,247 | + 14% |
Land Rover Range Rover
|
921
|
+ 18% | 8206 | + 15% |
Lexus LX
|
266
|
– 34% | 2578 | – 14% |
Lincoln Navigator
|
730
|
0% | 6356 | – 5% |
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
|
80
|
– 29% | 1077 | + 49% |
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
|
2128
|
+ 13% | 19,324 | + 22% |
Toyota Land Cruiser
|
137
|
– 20% | 1363 | – 6% |
Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Large Luxury Car & SUV Sales In America – October 2012
Large Luxury Car Sales & Large Luxury SUV Sales In America – November 2011
Large Luxury Car & Large Luxury SUV Sales In America – September 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America – October 2011
Luxury Auto Brand Market Share In America – October 2011
Small Luxury SUV & Midsize Luxury SUV Sales In America – October 2011
Small/Entry Luxury & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America – October 2011