Sales of limousines in the US showed a nice recovery in Q3 of 2020, with sales down “just” 8% compared to a loss of 30% in Q2 and an overall market down 9.5% in Q3. However, this strong quarter was mostly a result of a single newcomerwhich scored a second place in this quarter. Besides this newcomer, just two of the nine existing nameplates in this segment have sold more than in the first half of 2019. 
Despite being due for a redesign, the traditional leader Mercedes-Benz S-Class keeps its spot on top of the rankings but dips slightly below 25% share of the segment. With is 24% loss in sales (-7% in Q3), the S-Class is the best performing nameplate in the top-4. Keep in mind that the figures of the Mercedes-Benz also include sales of the Coupe and Convertible versions, so it’s hard to make an apples-to-apples comparison, but still its lead is large enough to expect the S-Class to lead in pure sedan sales. The Cadillac CT6 started the year in the #2 spot, but dropped behind the BMW 7-Series after Q2 and now had to relegate its podium spot to the Porsche Panamera, as the CT6 lost 74% of its sales in the third quarter, while the Panamera was down just 17%. In the #2 spot for the quarter we find an all-electric car, the Porsche Taycan. This allowed Porsche’s new best selling car to move past the Lexus LS and Genesis G90 into 5th place YTD, and if it keeps up this strong level of sales, the Taycan is likely to finish 2020 on the segment podium.
The Lexus LS was the big loser of the segment in the first half of the year, but slightly recovered in Q3 with sales down “just” 31%, as it continued to outsell the Audi A8, despite a 70% increase in sales for the latter. The A8 passed the Genesis G90 in Q3. The Jaguar XJ and Kia K900 are still the smallest players in this segment, with the K900 selling fewer than 30 units a month.
US limousine sales 2020 – Q1-Q3
| Limousine segment | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz S-class | 6.630 | 8.778 | -24% | 24,9% |
| 2 | BMW 7-series | 4.217 | 6.822 | -38% | 15,9% |
| 3 | Porsche Panamera | 3.119 | 5.016 | -38% | 11,7% |
| 4 | Cadillac CT6 | 2.972 | 5.675 | -48% | 11,2% |
| 5 | Porsche Taycan | 2.897 | 0 | New | 10,9% |
| 6 | Lexus LS | 2.283 | 3.948 | -42% | 8,6% |
| 7 | Audi A8 / S8 | 1.673 | 1.717 | -3% | 6,3% |
| 8 | Genesis G90 | 1.559 | 1.541 | 1% | 5,9% |
| 9 | Jaguar XJ | 1.017 | 930 | 9% | 3,8% |
| 10 | Kia K900 | 209 | 311 | -33% | 0,8% |
| Segment total | 26.576 | 34.738 | -23% |
Source: Manufacturers.