GCBC's The Good 12 For 2016

GCBC's The Good 12 for 2016 includes the vehicles that would be most welcomed as permanent members of the GCBC Towers driveway. Park them out front on Christmas morning. Tie them with a bow. We appreciate your kindness.

None have base prices above USD $67,000. They reflect many different parts of the market, they come from different places, they're powered by very different engines, they're accomplished in different areas. And when any one of them drives by, I want it for myself. 

Click any of the images to be taken to the model's Sales Stats page. Don't forget to check out GCBC's The Bad 8, the cars which we don't want to receive even as gifts. For more on what The Good 12 really is, visit the GCBC Awards page.

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	Chevrolet Suburban Can it ____? Yes. What about ___? Of course. Even ____? Yeah, that too. Fill in the blanks however you want. The Chevrolet Suburban is what you buy when you need one vehicle to meet every potential vehicular need.
	Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Remember the first Dodge Charger SRT-8 with its audacious 425-horsepower V8? That car was an edgy and affordable Detroit riposte to the typical German muscle sedan. This Charger SRT? 707 horsepower. Edgy, indeed.
	Ford Mustang There isn't just one good Mustang. The V6 is fun and affordable. The GT is fast and evocative. The Shelby GT350 is a proper European sports car fighter. They all look terrific. They're all far more modern than Mustangs were just two years ago.
	Honda Odyssey The value quotient with every minivan is unbelievably convincing. The Odyssey separates itself from the people-carrying pack with the sort of steering, ride, and handling that, rather than punishing you, rewards you instead.
	Jeep Wrangler Just ask the politicians who flop because they couldn't pull off the cowboy-boots-at-the-Iowa-state-fair look: authenticity matters. The Wrangler is exactly what the Wrangler is supposed to be.
	Mazda 3 5-Door Mazda's most popular car is the best all-around small car money can buy. It's sufficiently quick and fuel efficient, tackles a corner with aplomb, and marries attractive interior styling to terrific exterior styling.
	Mazda MX-5 Miata You wake up early on a Saturday morning in July. You took care of the day's pressing concerns last night. You own a Miata, so you leave the house to go for a drive. To nowhere in particular.
	Mini Clubman Most Minis are simply too small. The first two big Minis – Countryman and 4-Door – are awkward. So why not a Mini wagon? Mixing great on-road behaviour and a small wagon body at an affordable price produces a winner.
	Porsche Macan S 20 years ago the idea would have sounded foolish. But what's so categorically wrong about a Porsche with Porsche-like dynamics, all-weather appeal, and space for five people and their stuff?
	Ram 1500 EcoDiesel The Ram 1500 is a very good pickup truck, with or without the diesel. Highly regarded handling, true full-size capability, and attractive styling are integral to the equation. But mixing all this torque with so little fuel is a remarkable achievement.
	Volkswagen Golf GTI Before you even spend time with the GTI, you know it will be good. But then it's better than that. More space than you expected. More power. More expertise on a twisty road. And a more mature blend of performance attributes than you thought possible.
	Volvo XC90 Nobody does wagons quite like Volvo. But the modern wagon isn't really a wagon, is it? We want to ride high, climb snowbanks, and see the traffic beneath us. Thus, Volvo presents the second-gen XC90, with one of the best interiors in the current automotive universe and a prototypical Swedish exterior.

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RECOMMENDED READING
2015's The Good 12
2014's The Good 12
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2015 YTD U.S. Sales
Every Vehicle Ranked By November 2015 Canadian Sales
2016's The Bad 8

America's Five Fastest Growing Auto Brands In 2015 - A Decade Of Market Share

Compared with the first 11 months of 2014, the list of the five fastest-growing automobile brands in the United States in 2015 include two brands which only build SUVs, one brand which sells only one niche model without all-wheel-drive, and two resurgent auto brands which generate the majority of their sales with utility vehicles.

U.S. auto sales volume has grown 5.4% through the January-November period of 2015, and 17 auto brands are growing faster than the market average.

For the purposes of this list, we've excluded Alfa Romeo. Alfa sells but one model, the 4C, and didn't sell it for most of 2014. Alfa's year-over-year gain, therefore, is obviously going to be significant, and at 2425%, it is.

#5: SUBARU +13.5%
Consumers want practical, affordable, high-riding, all-wheel-drive vehicles. Subaru has a bunch of examples for you to try on, from the small XV Crosstrek to the bigger Forester to the wagon-like Outback. The trio is up 12% to 375,459 U.S. sales in 2015, or about seven out of every ten Subaru sales.

#4: VOLVO +18.0%
How desperate was Volvo for the XC90? After their former best seller crumbled over the course of a decade to eventually form only 7.5% of Volvo's U.S.s ales in 2014, the XC90 is once again outselling other Volvos in America. In November, Volvo volume jumped 91% as the XC90 generated 32% of Volvo's sales.

#3: MITSUBISHI +23.0%
Granted, Mitsubishi is rising from a low. The brand sold more than 300,000 new vehicles in America in 2002. Now, in 2015, the best year for Mitsubishi since the recession began in 2008, Mitsubishi is selling around 8000 vehicles per month, or about 95,000 in a year.

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U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - November 2015 YTD
U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - November 2015 YTD

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#2: JEEP +23.3%
The market share of SUVs and crossovers in America has grown from 32.1% in 2014 to 35.1% in 2015. Which auto brand is better positioned to take advantage of this surge in SUV/CUV demand than Jeep, which only markets affordable utility vehicles? The addition of the Renegade has helped, but even without that subcompact utility, Jeep sales are up 15% in 2015.

#1: LAND ROVER +35.9%
The greatest year-over-year gain, therefore, belongs to Land Rover, sales of which are up 36% in 2015. A new model, the Discovery Sport, is far more successful than the departing LR2 was a year ago. But the majority of Land Rover's sales aren't produced by the entry-level Disco Sport. The Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, Land Rover's two most costly models, generate 57% of Land Rover's U.S. volume. Their sales are up 41% and 21%, respectively.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

Auto News For Wednesday, December 16, 2015 - Infiniti Readies A 400-Horsepower Q50

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories and videos for Wednesday, December 16, 2015.

HORSEPOWER
Ever since Infiniti restored its G nameplate in 2002, the brand's entry-level sedan has been anything but short on power. But for the 2016 model year, Infiniti's G35/G37 successor, the Q50, will be offered with even more power, including a 400-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.0L V6. There will also be a 300-horsepower V6 and a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with 208 horsepower, an engine you know from the Mercedes-Benz CLA250, Mercedes-Benz GLA250, Mercedes-Benz Metris, and Infiniti's new Q30 and QX30.

SLC
As pitiful as alphanumeric names so often are, Mercedes-Benz appeared to have built up some cachet with the SLK roadster. So they're throwing it away, just as they've tossed overboard the M-Clas, GL-Class, and GLK-Class. The SLK is now the SLC, and replacing the SLK55 AMG is this Mercedes-AMG SLC43. Replacing the 5.5L V8 is a 3.0L twin-turbo V6. So what's the deal with the 43 part?

TTAC
Ford's four former core brands at the Blue Oval's Premier Automotive Group haven't completely gone their separate ways – Jaguar and Land Rover remain paired at India's Tata Motors. But Chinese-owned Volvo and Ford-owned Lincoln and the JLR tandem are now isolated entities. How has their status been affected in the U.S. over the last decade?

INSIDE THE AUTO INDUSTRY
To what degree can Volkswagen turn the tide of public opinion if the company introduces an all-electric Microbus at the CES next month? Likely not as far as Volkswagen could turn the tide if they delivered a production Microbus with a mass-appeal powertrain, a vehicle that would appear on driveways near you in 2017.

WATCH
We're big fans of the new Mini Clubman. After Mini flubbed the first-generation, the new Clubman is a genuinely spacious Mini, but with more handsome proportions than the 5-door. And the barn doors do look cool, even though they're a bit of a nuisance.

Auto News For Tuesday, November 17, 2015 - Ford Refreshes Escape For 2017

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, recalls and videos for Tuesday, November 17, 2015.

FORD
Ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford introduced a facelifted 2017 Escape with a new front fascia, new technology, and new engines. The Escape’s new 2.0L turbo is said to be more powerful and efficient, a 1.5L turbo – like the 2.0L – features stop-start tech, and Ford also debuted SYNC Connect, which will enable owners to start the vehicle, unlock the vehicle, and check other things on the vehicle from a remote location. The Escape is Canada’s top-selling SUV; America’s second-best-selling SUV.

VW
The 2017 Volkswagen Beetle Dune won’t save Volkswagen from its diesel emissions troubles, nor will it be a mainstream car. But to Beetle enthusiasts, it’s likely everything they wanted the Beetle to already be.

KIA
Toyota struck gold with the Prius. But with the auto industry increasingly earnings its keep with SUVs and crossovers, Kia is going to try to replicate the Prius’s success with a dedicated hybrid crossover, the Niro. 

AUTOFOCUS
Across much of the world, Volvo has not been struggling. But in North America, the brand’s sales fell so low some wondered whether its Chinese ownership would want to continue funding the North American operations. The XC90 is here now, however, and it’s selling very well, and Volvo thus appears to be on its way back.

TTAC
Scion is about to introduce a new crossover based on the Toyota C-HR Concept. Scion is already displaying signs of life because of the iM and iA. The C-HR could be just what the brand needs to regain the strength Scion displayed a decade ago. 

RECALL
BMW is recalling 7162 copies of the 2016 5-Series – 528i, 535i, 550i, 535d, and M5 – because of, "an inboard lower anchor for child restraints on the left rear seat that may have been bent downwards, preventing the child seat from fully engaging both lower anchors.” 

WATCH 
Americans couldn’t have the first-generation Smart Fortwo. The second Fortwo sold well at first but gradually waned. The third-generation is believed to be a dramatic improvement. Here’s Alex Dykes’ Alex On Autos review, the most detailed and thorough on YouTube.

Auto News For Wednesday, June 17, 2015 - Chris Evans Takes Over On Top Gear

Here are the seven must-read, must-watch auto news stories, review and videos for Wednesday, June 17, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO MEDIA BUSINESS
We don’t yet know what Top Gear will do in terms of replacements for Richard Hammond and James May, but Jeremy Clarkson is going to be replaced by Chris Evans. He’s a known entity in Britain. The global audience will have plenty of opportunity to get to know Evans, an avowed car enthusiast and loyal Ferrari owner.

NOT THE FUTURE
If you thought BMW needed a more affordable roadster beneath the Z4 - call it the Z2, for example - you may have forgotten that BMW’s own Ian Robertson thinks the sports car market can’t recover. And he believes that because BMW hardly sells any Z4s.

TTAC
May 2015 was GM’s highest-volume month in the U.S. since 2008, and pickup trucks were just as important last month as they were seven years ago.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
Donald Trump, yet another candidate for President in the Republican Party, appears to have little chance of receiving enough votes to even come close to receiving the Republican nomination. Perhaps it’s policies like this one from yesterday’s announcement speech, in addition to his hair, that limit his chances.

"I would call up the head of Ford, who I know. If I was president, I’d say, 'Congratulations. I understand that you’re building a nice $2.5 billion car factory in Mexico and that you’re going to take your cars and sell them to the United States zero tax, just flow them across the border.' 

And you say to yourself, 'How does that help us,' right? 'How does that help us? Where is that good?' It’s not.

So I would say, 'Congratulations. That’s the good news. Let me give you the bad news. Every car and every truck and every part manufactured in this plant that comes across the border, we’re going to charge you a 35-percent tax, and that tax is going to be paid simultaneously with the transaction, and that’s it.'"

REVIEW
The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil says of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata: "They could have called it the Déjà Vu."

RECALL
Chrysler is recalling 72 2015 Dodge Challengers due to loose or missing airbag mounting bolts.

WATCH
How much do you love the new Volvo XC90? Enough to watch a commercial that lasts for nearly two minutes? The message is basic: it gets you through the whole year. Or perhaps they’re trying to say something a little bit deeper.

Auto News For Thursday, May 28, 2015 - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Reducing Its Warranty

Here are the five must-read, must-watch auto news stories, reviews, and videos for Thursday, May 28, 2015.

INSIDE THE AUTO BUSINESS
Following GM’s move from a couple months ago, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will reduce its 5-year/100,000 U.S. powertrain warranty of in favour of a 5-year/60,000 mile warranty. The change applies to Chryslers, Jeeps, Dodges, and Rams. Fiat’s powertrain warranty stretches only to four years or 50,000 miles.

TTAC
Can Hyundai USA really sell 50,000 copies of the Santa Cruz per year if, in fact, they bother to build it? The case for and against.

REVIEW
It’s comically low to be considered anything but a car. But the Mazda CX-3, a Nissan Juke fighter that’s joining the Honda HR-V, Fiat 500X, and Jeep Renegade in challenging the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore and Subaru XV Crosstrek and the front-wheel-drive-only Kia Soul, will be labelled as an SUV or crossover by both observers and buyers. That’s essential if the CX-3 is going to be successful. Here’s CarAdvice’s thorough Aussie video review  and here’s the text version.

RECALL
GM is recalling 126 Chevrolet Impalas (model year 2014) because, “the electronic parking brake piston actuation arm may not fully retract causing the brake pads to stay partially engaged.”

GM is also recalling 40 Chevrolet Colorados and GMC Canyons (model year 2015) because, “the affected vehicles have a front driver air bag inflator that may be misaligned to the air bag module backplate.”

WATCH
CarBuyer.co.uk’s video reviews tread the middle ground between the typical brief-with-beauty-shots of many publications and Alex Dykes’ long but wonderfully detailed reviews. Here’s CarBuyer’s look at the 2015 Volvo XC90.

Let's Not Pretend: Calling It A Golf Doesn't Mean Americans Are Going To Buy Wagons

Here are a few key facts from last week's GCBC post on Jalopnik's Kinja platform.

• U.S. sales of the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen declined 27% between 2011 and 2014.

• As the Golf SportWagen takes over from the Jetta SportWagen – which was already a Golf wagon – April sales of the duo slid 28%, year-over-year. True, the Golf SportWagon isn't yet plentiful on dealer lots, but the figure includes a fair number of Jetta SportWagens.

• Moreover, the Volkswagen Tiguan, an afterthought in the small SUV segment, easily outsold Volkswagen's wagons in April.

• It wasn't just Volkswagen. Volvo, with three wagon nameplates, sold 1139 wagons in April 2015. But Volvo also sold 1819 XC60 crossovers. BMW sold nearly 9000 crossovers but likely no more than 500 3-Series wagons.

• Yet perhaps you'll be surprised that, in supposedly hatchback-hating America, the Audi A7, a hatch, outsells the Mercedes-Benz CLS, its most direct rival.

Watch 2016 Volvo XC90 Video Review - Alex On Autos

Alex Dykes calls this video review of the all-new, second-generation, 2016 Volvo XC90 a "first drive" review, but at 21 minutes and 32 seconds, it's nearly as thorough as most Alex On Autos reviews. Which is to say, more thorough and detailed than the video reviews of the XC90 you'll find elsewhere.

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Historical Monthly & Yearly Volvo XC90 Sales Figures
U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model - April 2015 YTD
U.S. SUV/Crossover Sales Rankings By Model - April 2015 YTD

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Released in 2002, the first XC90 was a hit for Volvo. No surprise there: it was great upmarket family transportation. But Volvo let it linger, and only now, nearly 14 years later, is China's Geely-owned Volvo getting around to replacing that first XC90. U.S. sales have plunged as a result, falling from 39,230 in the XC90's first full year of 2004 to just 3952 units in calendar year 2014. Canadian XC90 sales fell 84% between 2005 and 2012.

Already, GCBC has named the new XC90 to our Good 12 list for 2015. We're excited to drive it, but until then, satisfy yourself with the Alex On Autos video review of the 2016 XC90. Although the XC90 will come in different flavours, Alex Dykes reviewed the 2016 XC90 with the turbocharged and supercharged 2.0L four-cylinder, a 316-horsepower unit.



In his typical detailed fashion, Alex Dykes has completed a second video review of the XC90's Sensus touchscreen infotainment unit. We've included that video below largely because it's an extraordinary unit, unusual in its format and execution.



Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook. Alex On Autos is also on Facebook and Twitter.

October 2012 Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America

Volvo missed America's list of 30 top-selling premium vehicles by just 15 sales in October 2012. Two Volvos were present in this space as recently as August, but the XC60's 82% jump (to 1562 sales) wasn't strong enough, and the S60's 34% decline (to 1153 sales) was bad enough to keep Volvo away.

Cars like the Acura ILX, Lexus GS, Audi A5, Cadillac ATS, and Lexus CT200h all sold more often than the Volvo S60 in October 2012, yet none of those cars sold frequently enough to crack the top 30. The ATS certainly appears to have had an impact, regardless. CTS sales plunged 40% to just 2344. The XTS sold more often in October. Last month the CTS was America's 13th-best-selling luxury vehicle; in October it dropped to the 19th position.

Every Vehicle, All 265, Ranked By U.S. October YTD Sales

Total ATS and CTS sales didn't measure up to last October's CTS total, either, as the totals achieved by Cadillac's two entry-level cars were 7.9% down on the CTS's 3918-unit October 2011. And October 2011 CTS sales were down 7.6% from the prior October. All that said, the ATS is just getting going, having only been on sale since the latter part of September. Cars.com lists 5767 ATS sedans in Cadillac's U.S. inventory. That's nothing compared to CTS inventory: 9871 sedans, 4468 coupes, and 571 wagons.

At least the sharp declines recorded by the CTS and Escalade were covered up by the success of the XTS and fifth-ranked SRX, America's 18th-best-selling SUV in October. Cadillac sales rose 14.5% year-over-year. Lincoln was down 15.4% as only the low-volume Navigator and MKT posted gains.

There's much more to the October edition of this best-selling luxury vehicles post than Volvo's failings and Cadillac's fratricide. BMW 3-Series sales shot up 26% in October to 9729, good enough to land the top spot in this group and the 15th position in America's best-selling cars group. Direct 3-Series rivals can be spotted in second place, tenth place, and twelfth.

Audi Still Sells The Conventional Audi A4 Avant In
Other Markets. Its Base Price is £6550 Less Than The Allroad's
In The UK, Where Audi Is The Best-Selling Premium Brand

Audi just started separating the sales figures of its A4 sedan from the A4 Allroad. For consistency's sake we'll keep them together at least until the end of the year. But you can see that 13% of the A4s sold were Allroads, and you can see all A4 Allroad sales figures here. If you want an Audi wagon, the A4-on-stilts is now your only option. Ranked twelfth with the Allroad, the A4 drops to 15th without it. Audi USA's next-best-selling automobile in October was the 18th-ranked Q5, sales of which dipped 7% year-over-year. Rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz both sold more frequently. The X3 moved up from 15th spot last month to 11th in October.

Click Luxury Brand Market
Share Chart For Larger View

Removed from September's 30 best-selling luxury vehicles post were two products from Infiniti and Acura, the FX and ILX, respectively. Oh, how Japanese luxury automakers love to end a given name with the letter X. The BMW X1 and Porsche Cayenne stepped in to fill the void.

As will always be the case in the future, historic brand and corporate totals (monthly and yearly going back to 2002) are now available through the dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats page, along with results for more than 260 currently sold vehicles. That's where you'll find out that Volvo sold 38,546 S60s in 2002.

After the jump, 30 premium vehicles are ranked by October 2012 U.S. sales volume. Get to know the year-to-date data, too. We're only two months away from year-end results.

Rank	Luxury Vehicle	October 2012	% Change	Year To Date	YTD % Change
#1	BMW 3-Series	9729	+ 25.6%	78,081	- 0.3%
#2	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	7636	+ 7.8%	65,376	+ 22.9%
#3	Lexus RX	6928	+ 3.5%	73,976	+ 16.5%
#4	Lexus ES	5971	+ 38.9%	42,105	+ 34.7%
#5	Cadillac SRX	5521	+ 10.8%	45,745	+ 2.0%
#6	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	5265	+ 16.6%	50,061	- 4.4%
#7	BMW X5	4240	+ 6.1%	33,922	+ 12.9%
#8	BMW 5-Series	4228	- 16.2%	42,556	- 1.1%
#9	Acura MDX	3771	+ 2.2%	42,417	+ 19.9%
#10	Infiniti G	3438	- 10.1%	49,490	+ 4.8%
	G Sedan	2720	- 8.9%	38,486	+ 10.8%
	G Coupe/Convertible	718	- 14.3%	11,004	- 11.8%
#11	BMW X3	3248	+ 39.9%	25,839	+ 20.2%
#12	Audi A4	3151	+ 20.6%	31,381	+ 8.2%
	A4	2740	+ 4.9%	29,138	29,011
	Allroad	411	-----	2243	+ 0.4%
#13	Mercedes-Benz GLK	2943	+ 18.0%	23,084	+ 18.4%
#14	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	2868	- 29.9%	29,966	+ 16.5%
#15	Acura RDX	2659	+ 62.9%	22,460	+ 82.7%
#16	Acura TL	2560	- 3.8%	29,408	+ 15.1%
#17	Cadillac XTS	2540	-----	9696	-----
#18	Audi Q5	2424	- 7.1%	22,321	+ 10.6%
#19	Cadillac CTS	2344	- 40.2%	40,809	- 10.9%
#20	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	2296	+ 7.9%	19,854	+ 2.7%
#21	Hyundai Genesis	2175	- 16.4%	29,191	+ 4.9%
#22	Lexus IS	2116	- 19.8%	23,223	- 0.6%
#23	Infiniti JX35	2084	-----	16,437	-----
#24	BMW X1	1907	-----	4053	-----
#25	Cadillac Escalade	1832	- 20.7%	18,269	- 8.6%
	Escalade	990	- 30.5%	10,284	- 13.7%
	Escalade ESV	668	- 7.5%	6463	- 0.4%
	Escalade EXT	174	+ 6.7%	1522	- 3.5%
#26	Porsche Cayenne	1697	+ 64.4%	12,031	+ 8.7%
#27	Audi A6	1620	+ 36.6%	15,529	+ 96.8%
#28	Lincoln MKZ	1614	- 17.4%	25,088	+ 9.0%
#29	Lincoln MKX	1602	- 9.2%	20,382	+ 8.8%
#30	Acura TSX	1577	- 47.0%	24,955	+ 1.0%
	TSX Sedan	1185	- 56.4%	21,519	- 2.2%
	TSX Wagon	392	+ 51.4%	3436	+ 27.7%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 
GCBC qualifies all vehicles from Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Acura, Cadillac, Audi, Infiniti, Lincoln, Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche, and Jaguar while also making exceptions for overtly premium cars like the Chevrolet Corvette, Nissan GT-R, Volkswagen Touareg, Hyundai Equus, and (reluctantly) Hyundai Genesis. Buick's lack of anything truly high-end hinders its value-priced vehicles from qualifying as premium, despite the image Buick held in a previous era. Yes, this means the B-Class is eligible because of the S-Class; the A3 because of the R8, to an extent. Unfortunately the lack of data separating vehicle trim lines from one another (F-150 XL vs F-150 Platinum, for example) means vehicles like the GMC Yukon Denali and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 aren't included. None of this should lead you to believe the Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon and Buick Enclave aren't luxurious, particularly as they're viable competitors for true premium players. 

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2013
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - November 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - September 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - October 2011
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand - October 2012
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - October 2012

Top 30 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2011 Year End

Truly Premium: the Bentley Continental GTC V8

Porsche USA sold 12,978 Cayennes in 2011. That SUV sales total was up 56% from 2010. Volvo sold 12,932 XC60s, up 7.5% from 2010. Mercedes-Benz S-class sales were down 10% to 12,258 in the United States in 2011. Not a single one of these vehicles can be found on 2011's list of America's 30 best-selling premium vehicles. Some might argue that their absence relates to the fact that GoodCarBadCar includes the Hyundai Genesis (sales of which, by Hyundai's decision, include the Genesis Coupe) and the Chevrolet Corvette, two truly premium cars from two very mainstream brands.

Regardless, the Cayenne, XC60, and S-Class have all garnered a mention in this text, making you a thoroughly informed reader. It's not as if the Top 30 list needed any more Mercedes products: 17% of the table is filled by Benzes. Volvo managed to break in with the increasingly popular and truly handsome S60. And Porsche's 186-unit miss sends a message to Porsche from all the diehards who still don't want the Cayenne to exist. 

Leading the pack in 2011, as it did the previous year, is the BMW 3-Series. The new 3-Series sedan should mean the 2012 list will not not show any red font in the BMW's % Change column. The BMW 3-Series sedan recently won a place in GoodCarBadCar's The Good 12. 

America's favourite luxury utility was the Lexus RX, not surprisingly. Its closest rival was the Cadillac SRX, 26,994 sales back. The SRX was America's favourite American luxury vehicle, 559 sales ahead of its CTS sibling. The SRX was also twice as popular as the most popular Lincoln, the MKZ. The seventh-ranked CTS will have some in-showroom competition from the CTS-lite ATS in 2012. Its recent debut was hotly anticipated.

Last year's edition of this best-selling luxury post can be viewed here. Start checking out 2011's monthly versions with January's post here.

Rank	Best-Selling Luxury Vehicle	2011	2010	% Change
#1	BMW 3-Series	94,371	100,910	- 6.5%
#2	Lexus RX	82,595	95,790	- 13.8%
#3	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	69,314	58,785	+ 17.9%
#4	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	62,736	60,922	+ 3.0%
#5	Infiniti G	58,246	58,143	+ 0.2%
#6	Cadillac SRX	55,601	51,975	+ 7.0%
#7	Cadillac CTS	55,042	45,656	+ 20.6%
#8	BMW 5-Series	51,491	39,488	+ 30.4%
#9	Acura MDX	43,271	47,210	- 8.3%
#10	Lexus ES	40,873	48,652	- 16.0%
#11	BMW X5	40,547	35,776	+ 13.3%
#12	Mercedes-Benz M-Class	38,835	29,698	+ 20.7%
#13	Audi A4	35,234	34,672	+ 1.6%
#14	Hyundai Genesis	32,998	29,122	+ 13.3%
#15	Acura TL	31,237	34,049	- 8.3%
#16	Acura TSX	30,935	32,076	- 3.6%
#17	Lexus IS	29,669	34,129	- 13.1%
#18	BMW X3	27,793	6075	+ 358%
#19	Lincoln MKZ	27,529	22,535	+ 22.2%
#20	Cadillac Escalade	25,503	26,874	- 5.1%
#21	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	25,139	19,943	+ 26.1%
#22	Audi Q5	24,908	23,518	+ 5.9%
#23	Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class	24,310	20,946	+ 16.1%
#24	Lincoln MKX	23,395	21,932	+ 6.7%
#25	Volvo S60	21,282	1437	+ 1381%
#25	Audi A5	15,385	16,379	- 6.1%
#26	Land Rover Range Rover Sport	15,333	12,347	+ 24.2%
#27	Acura RDX	15,196	14,975	+ 1.5%
#28	Lexus CT200h	14,381	-----	-----
#29	Infiniti QX56	13,248	11,918	+ 12.7%
#30	Chevrolet Corvette	13,164	12,624	+ 4.3%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales 

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