Against a backdrop of slowly accelerating economic growth, U.S. luxury-vehicle sales fell back in line with the total market in 2011 as nearly half of the segment’s brands suffered losses.
Luxury-vehicle deliveries climbed 10.4% last year, compared with 2010, keeping pace with the 10.2% gain in total light-vehicle sales, according to WardsAuto data.
The data alignment contrasts sharply with the disparity demonstrated in 2010. Compared with recession-plagued 2009, lux-model sales in 2010 soared 16.0% while the total market jumped 11.1%.
BMW’s 3-Series car line was the best-selling luxury vehicle in the U.S. last year with 94,371 deliveries, which heralded another major achievement: the storied Bavarian brand was the nation’s top-selling luxury marque overall, ending a 10-year reign by Lexus.
Toyota’s upscale brand saw its deliveries plunge 13.4% as natural disasters in its home market of Japan played havoc with supply. However, the Lexus RX line of cross/utility vehicles was the year’s best-selling luxury-segment light-truck with 85,334 deliveries.
Lexus’ early elimination from the luxury-market sales race inspired last-minute drama and BMW and Mercedes meticulously tallied their totals in frantic bids to finish first.
BMW’s 247,907 deliveries edged out Mercedes’ 245,192-unit total, even though the tri-star brand’s E-Class models and the all-new C-Class were third and second, respectively, in luxury-car sales rankings for 2011.
The luxury-car market outgained its light-truck counterpart. Upscale car sales for the year climbed 13.5%, compared with 2010. Luxury light-truck deliveries ticked up 5.7%.
BMW dealers largely are unfazed by the good news. “We get to beat our chests a little more,” says Phil Roe, general manager of Braman BMW in Jupiter, FL. But vehicles do not sell themselves, he adds.
A Georgia dealer who spoke to WardsAuto on the condition of anonymity bemoaned market conditions as “the toughest I’ve ever seen.”
Arguably, no luxury-vehicle showrooms had a tougher time in 2011 than Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lincoln and Lexus. They comprise nearly half of the mainstream luxury brands on sale in the U.S. All suffered sales shortfalls.
On the up side, Audi recorded its highest-ever annual volume in the U.S. with 117,561 sales. And when its Sprinter van deliveries are factored into its total, Mercedes marked a new milestone with 261,769 sales.
Such results are in line with with today’s economic news. The nation’s economy added 200,000 jobs in December, according to the U.S. Labor Dept., marking the sixth straight month of gains exceeding 100,000.
