Sales in the Premium Limousine segment rose by 8.3 percent in 2016, a remarkable performance given that all the other Premium non-SUV sectors saw their sales fall by 10 percent or more. This remarkable headline figure relies heavily on growth achieved by the new Cadillac CT6, without which sales in the segment would have fallen by 7.2 percent. Still, this fact should not take away the shine from the sector, which in 2017 will further be bolstered by the arrival of the new Audi A8, Lexus LS and Porsche Panamera.
As a side-note, following feedback from our readers the Tesla Model S, part of the Alternative Power segment, is now presented for comparison in the Premium Large segment, rather than here.
Highlights for 2016
- The almighty Mercedes-Benz S-class is clearly suffering from the introduction of new rivals, with sales falling by 14 percent compared to 2016, and the model’s share of the segment falling to 29 percent from 39 percent in 2015
- BMW 7-series had a great 2016, with sales rising by 39 percent, allowing it to more than halve its margin to the S-class, from over 12,000 in 2015 to below 6,000 in 2016
- Cadillac CT6, the brand’s first true assault on the segment in recent times, is off to a great start – despite sales only starting in earnest in Q3 it sold well enough to secure third place, and actually outsold the 7-series in Q4; also great news for Cadillac is that despite the CT6’s success sales of the smaller CTS only fell by 18 percent compared to 2016, only slightly below the average performance for the Premium Large segment
- Most other cars in the segment experienced a fall in sales, with the exception of the Jaguar XJ, which experienced a late Q4 surge in sales (up 51 percent), presumably as customers were lured into the brand’s showrooms by the new XF and F-type, but were lured into the XJ thanks to its immediate availability and discounts not available on the new models
- Just like in the case of its smaller cousin, the G80, sales of the new Genesis G90 failed to make up for the fall in sales of the outgoing Hyundai Equus
- The worst performers in the segment were the Bentley Flying Spur (sales down 49 percent, suffering from the arrival of the Bentayga SUV) and the Kia K900 (which, with fewer than 1,000 sales in 2016, may soon be pulled from the US market)
Note: 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