Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - November 2014

In November 2014, BMW's leading 3-Series lineup, including its 4-Series offshoot, outsold the whole Cadillac brand for the second consecutive month on its way to ending the month as America's top-selling premium brand vehicle. Cadillac wasn't the only mid-tier luxury brand to fall to the 3-Series - Infiniti and Lincoln did, too, among others – but that's a normal occurrence. Even in a difficult 2014, Cadillac typically outsells the leading BMW.

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• U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - November 2014 YTD

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BMW also sold 16,317 other vehicles besides the 3-Series/4-Series in November. But while the 3er was up 12%, the BMW brand was down 2%, a loss of 733 units. In the race to end 2014 as America's top-selling premium brand, BMW leads Mercedes-Benz 1830 units. Mercedes-Benz outsold BMW by 3559 units in November to close the gap. 

For brands that once traded on their exclusivity, it's odd to see them chasing volume with such fervency. But chase they do. Mercedes-Benz's two entry-level cars, the C-Class and CLA, ranked third and 13th among premium brand automobiles in November. BMW generated 64% of the brand's November volume with their two entry-level cars and two-entry level SAVs. 

One out of every five Audis sold in November was either an A3 or Q3. The brand's top seller continues to be the Q5, formerly Audi's entry-level utility vehicle. The Q5 ranked 12th among premium brand vehicles last month. 

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.

October 2014 • November 2013

Rank	Premium Brand Vehicle	November 2014	November 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
#1	BMW 3-Series & 4-Series *	14,702	13,148	11.8%	122,768	102,784	19.4%
#2	Lexus RX	9592	9493	1.0%	93,865	90,751	3.4%
#3	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	9259	7878	17.5%	66,841	81,022	-17.5%
#4	Lexus ES	5884	6295	-6.5%	64,726	64,368	0.6%
#5	Acura MDX	5210	6091	-14.5%	58,842	46,502	26.5%
#6	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	5190	4328	19.9%	41,101	36,841	11.6%
#7	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	4737	8614	-45.0%	61,281	61,076	0.3%
#8	Lexus IS	4610	3973	16.0%	45,419	29,603	53.4%
#9	BMW X5	4557	2663	71.9%	45,790	29,195	56.8%
#10	Acura TLX	4233	---	---	15,293	---	---
#11	Infiniti Q50	4216	5891	-28.4%	33,044	13,248	149%
#12	Audi Q5	4184	3582	16.8%	37,869	35,561	6.5%
#13	Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class	3898	3623	7.6%	24,701	10,828	128%
#14	Acura RDX	3436	3663	-6.2%	39,709	40,535	-2.0%
#15	Cadillac SRX	3331	4823	-30.9%	48,679	50,702	-4.0%

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.

Rank	Vehicles With Base Prices Above $45K	November 2014	November 2013	% Change	2014 YTD	2013 YTD	% Change
#1	Chevrolet Tahoe	8027	7272	10.4%	86,467	74,856	15.5%
#2	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	5190	4328	19.9%	41,101	36,841	11.6%
#3	Chevrolet Suburban	5045	5212	-3.2%	48,248	45,440	6.2%
#4	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	4737	8614	-45.0%	61,281	61,076	0.3%
#5	BMW X5	4557	2663	71.9%	45,790	29,195	56.8%
#6	Cadillac Escalade	3237	1846	75.4%	26,782	20,203	32.6%
	Cadillac Escalade ^	2106	1100	91.5%	17,201	11,122	54.7%
	Cadillac Escalade ESV ^	1128	651	73.3%	9528	7175	32.8%
	Cadillac Escalade EXT ^	3	95	-96.8%	53	1906	-97.2%
#7	GMC Yukon	3179	2777	14.5%	36,840	24,705	49.1%
#8	BMW 5-Series	3105	5060	-38.6%	47,187	48,761	-3.2%
#9	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	3065	2926	4.8%	23,203	27,673	-16.2%
#10	Mercedes-Benz S-Class	2863	1907	50.1%	22,444	11,446	96.1%
#11	GMC Yukon XL	2416	2665	-9.3%	26,492	28,100	-5.7%
#12	Chevrolet Corvette	2378	2527	-5.9%	31,287	14,286	119%
#13	Lexus GX460	2043	1703	20.0%	19,978	10,306	93.8%
#14	Lexus GS	1836	1590	15.5%	19,453	17,138	13.5%
#15	Audi Q7	1746	1524	14.6%	16,589	13,699	21.1%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
$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 $32,750, 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 $44,600, and the Audi A6, which starts at $44,800.
^ Escalade breakdown by variant.
* BMW USA, not GoodCarBadCar, has chosen to combine sales of the 3-Series and 4-Series. GCBC combines sales of the Audi A4 and Audi A4 Allroad. None-Allroad sales were down 15% to 2699 in November.
Cadillac's new CTS - 2446 November sales - starts at $45,100, but the lingering CTS Coupe is a sub-$40K car, and the wagon starts at $42,195. The ANDC estimates that Tesla sold 2200 copies of the Model S in November, enough to crack the top 15 of the second list, but ANDC estimates for Tesla have typically proven to be on the very high side.

RECOMMENDED READING
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2014
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - November 2013

Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - November 2014
Top 20 Best-Selling SUVs In America - November 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - November 2014 YTD
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - November 2014