Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2015 Year End

The Lexus RX was once again the top-selling premium brand new vehicle in America in 2015. 

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U.S. Vehicle Sales Rankings By Model: 2015 Year End

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Now in the fourth iteration of a vehicle which shook the luxury arena in the late 90s, the RX outsold its nearest rival, the BMW 3-Series, by more than 6000 sales in 2015; outselling its nearest direct rival, the Cadillac SRX, by nearly 32,000 units.

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It was a record year for the SRX, but the Lexus, even in a challenging transition year, is an unstoppable force. Often criticized for bland dynamics, unfortunate styling, and a lack of third row, consumers consistently prove that the critics are wrong. 

100,610 U.S. buyers appreciated the Lexus RX's dynamics, styling, and seating arrangement in 2015.

Among vehicles with base prices above $45,000, seven of the top 15 best-selling vehicles in America in 2015 were General Motors products. That group of seven includes one Cadillac sedan, a bevy of full-size SUVs, and the Chevrolet Corvette. The BMW X5's 54,997 U.S. sales in 2015 ranked second in that group.

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.

2014 Year End • 2013 Year End • 2012 Year End

Rank	Premium Brand Vehicle	2015	2014	%  Change
#1	Lexus RX	100,610	107,490	-6.4%
#2	BMW 3-Series	94,527	100,970	-6.2%
#3	Mercedes-Benz C-Class	86,080	75,065	14.7%
#4	Cadillac SRX	68,850	53,578	28.5%
#5	Lexus ES	64,969	72,508	-10.4%
#6	Acura MDX	58,208	65,603	-11.3%
#7	BMW X5	54,997	47,031	16.9%
#8	Audi Q5	52,006	42,420	22.6%
#9	Acura RDX	51,026	44,865	13.7%
#10	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	49,736	66,401	-25.1%
#11	Acura TLX	47,080	19,127	146%
#12	Lexus IS	46,430	51,358	-9.6%
#13	BMW 4-Series	46,082	41,442	11.2%
#14	BMW 5-Series	44,162	52,704	-16.2%
#15	Infiniti Q50	43,874	36,899	18.9%

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 $45,000	2015	2014	%  Change
#1	Chevrolet Tahoe	88,342	97,726	-9.6%
#2	BMW X5	54,997	47,031	16.9%
#3	Chevrolet Suburban	50,866	55,009	-7.5%
#4	Mercedes-Benz E-Class	49,736	66,401	-25.1%
#5	BMW 5-Series	44,162	52,704	-16.2%
#6	GMC Yukon	42,732	41,569	2.8%
#7	Ford Expedition	41,443	44,632	-7.1%
#8	Cadillac Escalade	35,923	30,522	17.7%
	Cadillac Escalade *	21,230	19,482	9.0%
	Cadillac Escalade ESV *	14,691	10,987	33.7%
	Cadillac Escalade EXT *	2	53	-96.2%
#9	Chevrolet Corvette	33,329	34,839	-4.3%
#10	Mercedes-Benz M-Class °	32,550	46,726	-30.3%
#11	GMC Yukon XL	31,334	29,752	5.3%
#12	Mercedes-Benz GL-Class	27,707	26,597	4.2%
#13	Lexus GX460	25,212	22,685	11.1%
#14	Lexus GS	23,117	22,198	4.1%
#15	Cadillac XTS	23,112	24,335	-5.0%

Source: Automakers & ANDC
Red font indicates year-over-year declining sales
$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.
^ Escalade breakdown by variant.
° Mercedes-Benz's M-Class was replaced by the GLE (20,663 sales in calendar year 2015) in August 2015.
Updated at 5:38 PM AT on 01.07.2015 with altered RDX numbers.

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Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - 2014 Year End
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Top 15 Best-Selling Luxury Vehicles In America - December 2015
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