Growth halts in the second quarter, as segment readies itself for new models in the fall
Sales in the US Premium Large SUV segment rose by 3.6% to 244,48 in the first half of 2018, as growth fell from a healthy 6.8% in the first quarter down to just 0.6% in the second quarter. As a result, the segment was overtaken by Premium Mid-sized SUVs as the largest Premium SUV segment for the first time. While new models such as BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Porsche Cayenne should help bring the segment back to healthy growth, it hard to see it retaking the lead anytime soon.
Highlights
- Lexus RX further extended its lead over the outgoing BMW X5, whose sales actually rose despite the model’s replacement arriving in the market shortly
- Infiniti QX60 could not repeat its almost-40% growth from Q1’18, resulting in the model falling back behind the soon-to-be-replaced Mercedes-Benz GLE, despite that model’s 20% sales drop in the second quarter, and only just staying ahead of the Acura MDX
Clicking on the model name opens the sales data page for that model; clicking year in the legend turns the display for that year on/off
- Audi Q7 once again saw its sales rise slowly, keeping it ahead of the faster-growing Volvo XC90, as well as the Lincoln MKX, which could not regain the places it lost to its two competitors despite arresting its sales decline in the second quarter
- Both the Range Rover Sport and Lexus GX enjoyed strong, double-digit growth, helping to keep the models ahead of the Tesla Model X
- Porsche Cayenne saw its sales plunge by over 40% in the second quarter, ahead of the arrival of the all-new model, resulting in the model almost being overtaken by the new Land Rover Discovery
- Towards the end, BMW X6 saw its sales growth dip into the red in the second quarter, although it was still a better performance than the steady, double-digit decline in sales experienced by the Maserati Levante and Lincoln MKT
Note: clicking on the model names in legend turns the display for that model on/off; data is displayed from 1990 onwards, but starts earlier – access previous years using slider on bottom