The upper class segment is the second-best performing class in the US in 2021, with sales up 26% in an overall market up 3%. This is a result of very strong second half of the year in which upper class sales were up 63% and 38% in Q3 and Q4 respectively, as automakers prioritized production of high-margin products in supply constrained circumstances. Upper class sedans and coupes now make up 0.3% of the US passenger car market, up from 0.2% in 2020.
Another reason for the strong performance of the class is the introduction of new and updated models. The traditional leader Mercedes-Benz S-Class is up 66% thanks to the new generation and improves its share of the class to 31.6%. This is the first time the S-Class has a share of the segment above 30%. Another great performance comes from the Porsche Taycan EV, more than doubling the deliveries from its first full year of sales and jumping into 2nd place with a share of the class of 20.8%. That puts the Taycan not only at more than double the volume of its traditionally powered sibling Porsche Panamera, but also ahead of the BMW 7-Series. Both of the latter beat the overall market but lose share in the upper class segment. The Lexus LS is up just 3% after it lost 68% of its volume in Q4 when it was outsold by all but one of the remaining players in this class. Only the Audi A8 had a slower fourth quarter with just 307 deliveries. The Genesis G90 is down 12% for the year, but finished on a high note with sales up 8% in Q4. The Taycan’s platform sibling Audi e-Tron GT was the #5 seller in the last quarter, indicating it’s a force to be reckoned with in 2022. And finally the Mercedes-Benz EQS has arrived, landing at #7 in Q4. It will be very interesting to see how the S-Class will hold up against its EV rival in the coming years.
The Cadillac CT6, Kia K900 and Jaguar XJ have reached the end of their life cycles.
US upper class sedan sales 2021
| Upper class | 2021 | 2020 | Change | 2021 Share | 2020 Share | 2021-Q4 | 2020-Q4 | Change | |
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz S-class | 14.282 | 8.589 | 66% | 31,6% | 23,9% | 5.101 | 1.959 | 160% |
| 2 | Porsche Taycan | 9.419 | 4.414 | 113% | 20,8% | 12,3% | 2.191 | 1.517 | 44% |
| 3 | BMW 7-series | 7.706 | 6.443 | 20% | 17,0% | 17,9% | 1.719 | 2.226 | -23% |
| 4 | Porsche Panamera | 4.257 | 3.870 | 10% | 9,4% | 10,8% | 1.451 | 751 | 93% |
| 5 | Lexus LS | 3.739 | 3.617 | 3% | 8,3% | 10,1% | 427 | 1.334 | -68% |
| 6 | Audi A8 / S8 | 2.069 | 2.406 | -14% | 4,6% | 6,7% | 307 | 733 | -58% |
| 7 | Genesis G90 | 1.821 | 2.072 | -12% | 4,0% | 5,8% | 555 | 513 | 8% |
| 8 | Audi e-tron GT | 1.226 | 0 | New | 2,7% | 0,0% | 764 | 0 | New |
| 9 | Mercedes-Benz EQS | 443 | 0 | New | 1,0% | 0,0% | 443 | 0 | New |
| 10 | Cadillac CT6 | 173 | 3.117 | -94% | 0,4% | 8,7% | 1 | 145 | -99% |
| 11 | Kia K900 | 85 | 305 | -72% | 0,2% | 0,8% | 2 | 96 | -98% |
| 12 | Jaguar XJ | 24 | 1.117 | -98% | 0,1% | 3,1% | 0 | 100 | -100% |
| Segment total | 45.244 | 35.950 | 26% | 12.961 | 9.374 | 38% |
Source: Manufacturers.