THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : BEST-SELLING LUXURY SUVs

Luxury SUV Sales Stats make America look very wealthy. I know, eh. Like, I thought they had millions of trillions of deficit and CNN told me everybody lost their job, but apparently a premium branded sport-utility vehicle is still par for the course. Or so says the Numbers listed below.

Okay, to be honest, SUV sales in the United States have taken quite a tumble through the first three quarters of 2009. But year-to-date sales of SUVs at the nation's most successful luxury brand (Lexus) share a slightly different story. SUV sales are down just 11.1% compared with the first three quarters of 2008. Car sales at Lexus are down 37%. In fact, so far this year Lexus has sold just 3,366 more cars than SUVs. Keep in mind, Lexus only offers three different SUV models but has for most of this year pushed four car models and technically offers six car models right now.

So when peering deep into the soul of the luxury SUV Marketplace in America, make sure the statistics from the first three quarters of car sales are on your mind as well.

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AFTER 3/4ths OF 2009

Smallerish Luxury SUV Sales Totals

Acura RDX: 6,975
Audi Q5: 9,326
BMW X3: 5,098
Cadillac SRX: 8,770
Infiniti EX: 5,859
Lexus RX: 65,325
Lincoln MKX: 16,388
Mercedes-Benz GLK: 16,015
Volvo XC60: 5,884

Large SUV Sales Totals

Acura MDX: 20,980
Audi Q7: 5,452
BMW X5: 18,650
BMW X6: 3,302
Infiniti FX: 8,299
Lexus GX: 5,183
Mercedes-Benz M-Class: 17,407
Mercedes-Benz R-Class: 2,338
Porsche Cayenne: 5,924
Saab 9-7X: 1,844
Volvo XC90: 7,242

Jumbo SUV Sales Totals

Cadillac Escalade: 17,435
Infiniti QX56: 4,157
Lexus LX: 2,513
Lincoln Navigator & Mark LT: 5,160
Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 435
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: 10,275

Best-Selling Small Luxury Cars In The USA In 2009

Best-Selling Larger Luxury Cars In The USA In 2009

Best-Selling Sporty Luxury Cars In The USA In 2009

Best-Selling Luxury Brands In America In 2009

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : BEST-SELLING 2-DOOR LUXURY CARS

Defining the term "sports car" isn't impossible but is controversial in automotive enthusiasts' conversation and won't be something undertaken on GoodCarBadCar.net today. Conflicting opinions on the topic have led to the common usage of words like sporty, sportiness, and sporting along with performance car, grand tourer, and luxury coupe.

Of the twelve cars listed below with their year-to-date Sales Stats for 2009, only a handful could make an adequate case before a judge as to their own proper usage of the term "sports car". This category of vehicle, a category that takes in luxury models equipped exclusively with two-doors, has struggled mightily in 2009 to sell at a pace anywhere near the rate of sale in 2008. For the most part the less expensive cars sell better. And rather unsurprisingly, the Germans dominate their Swedish, American, and Japanese competition. Unlike the Numbers posted for the manufacturers' sales totals or the small luxury sedans and hatchbacks or the larger luxury cars, a wildcard has been thrown in to the mix just to upset the boat a l'il bit.

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AFTER 3/4ths OF 2009

Semi-affordable Luxury Coupe Sales Totals

Audi TT: 1,493
BMW Z4: 2,306
Chevrolet Corvette: 10,795
Mercedes-Benz SLK: 2,203
Porsche Boxster/Cayman: 3,025
Volvo C70: 4,411

Very Expensive Luxury Coupe Sales Totals

Audi A5: 6,237
Audi R8: 546
BMW 6-Series: 3,055
Cadillac XLR: 640
Lexus SC: 595
Mercedes-Benz SL: 3,107
Porsche 911: 5,361

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : BEST-SELLING LARGE AND SOMEWHAT LARGER LUXURY SEDANS

Helping to ratchet up the Numbers for BMW's small sedan were the 3-Series coupe, hardtop convertible, and wagon. In total, BMW has sold more than 67,000 3-Series variations in the United States through the first three-quarters of 2009. Add the Sales Stats of the 1-Series and BMW's small luxury dominance is as thick as KFC's batter. Can the 3-Series' larger brethren dominate in their respective segments, as well?

Below you'll find the Marketplace story for larger luxury cars and the largest luxury sedans. For a look back at figures already researched and provided by The Good Car Guy, click here for the manufacturer perspective and here for the small luxury car segments. Of course, not all these cars are cross-shopped one with the other; certainly not in the largest category. There are reasons for their groupings, reasons not hard to figure out if you think for yourself.

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AFTER 3/4ths OF 2009

MID-SIZE TO LARGE LUXURY SALES TOTALS

Acura RL: 1,491
Audi A6: 4,794
BMW 5-Series: 29,690
Cadillac STS: 5,043
Infiniti M: 6,741
Lexus ES: 33,431
Lexus GS: 5,277
Lincoln MKS: 12,352
Mercedes-Benz E-Class: 26,740
Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class: 2,159
Saab 9-5: 852
Volvo S80: 6,458
Volvo V70/XC70: 5,998

LARGE TO LIMO-LIKE LUXURY SEDAN TOTALS

Audi A8: 1,046
BMW 7-Series: 5,950
Cadillac DTS: 12,125
Lexus LS: 7,388
Lincoln Town Car: 8,695
Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 7,806

Get the facts on U.S. luxury car sales through the first 3/4s of 2009

One step beyond luxury you'll find Big Ticket Items

See how many spots Mercedes-Benz could grab in GCBC's 100 Favourite Cars

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : BEST-SELLING SMALL AND SOMEWHAT SMALL LUXURY CARS

Only a few minutes ago you discovered what a tumble the former Standard Of The World has taken. Cadillac is nowhere near the top of the heap in U.S. luxury car Sales Stats so far in 2009. Is there any category where the two domestic luxury automakers can regain their reputation? A place to look to so success can still be enjoyed? If Infiniti and Acura sell more vehicles in America than Lincoln, can Ford Motor Company savour any factual tidbit in the luxury segment?

Here are the sales totals in the smallerish category of luxury cars, split in to three segments: the actually small, the kind of small, and the priced like small.

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AFTER 3/4ths OF 2009

Actually Small Luxury Car Sales Totals

Audi A3: 2,657

BMW 1-Series: 8,952
Volvo C30: 3,398

Kind Of Small Luxury Car Sales Totals

Acura TSX: 21,300

Audi A4: 27,967

BMW 3-Series: 67,220

Lexus HS: 1,785

Lexus IS: 27,911

Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 39,434

Saab 9-3: 4,232

Volvo S40/V50: 7,529

Priced Like Small Luxury Car Sales Totals

Acura TL: 25,882

Cadillac CTS: 29,011

Infiniti G: 34,830

Lincoln MKZ: 16,497

Volvo S60: 5,809

The best-selling luxury automaker in America in '09 is Lexus

Get the Lowdown on the BMW 335d

Check the Graph to see how entry-luxury car sales fared in September

THREE-FOURTHS OF 2009 OVER : BEST-SELLING LUXURY BRAND IS.....

Every month The Good Car Guy profiles a very specific category of auto sales in the United Stats. In a Graph like the one seen here for September's luxury Sales Stats, the nine best-selling premium manufacturers are lumped together in order to see which automakers are absorbing the largest chunk of the Marketplace. Which manufacturer receives the biggest slice of the pie? Routinely, that'd be Lexus; with BMW and Mercedes-Benz not too far behind.

Three-quarters of 2009 have now gone by, however, and the storyline is much deeper than the make alone. Why not deal with models, too? Over the next few posts on GoodCarBadCar.net you'll be able to see how individual models stack up against their rivals; both direct and slightly indirect. Resulting from the fact that many luxury cars compete in specific niches and are therefore not direct competitors for any particular car, the vehicles will not be listed by sales totals. Rather, alphabetizing will be relied upon for easy spotting. Except, that is, in the case of manufacturer totals, as seen below, where the low sellers and the high sellers are exposed for all to see their maladies or magnificence.

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AFTER 3/4ths OF 2009

January 1 - September 30

Lexus: 149,408

BMW: 144,223

Mercedes-Benz: 135,413

Acura: 76,628

Cadillac: 73,024

Infiniti: 59,866

Audi: 59,518

Lincoln: 59,236

Volvo: 46,729

Porsche: 14,310

Saab: 6,298

Get the Lowdown on the new Lexus LFA, seen above

August 2009's U.S. Luxury Sales Stats

Top 5 Best-Selling SUVs in America includes a Lexus

How many American cars are sold in America?

Best-Selling Small Luxury SUV in America in September? Benz GLK