The limousine and upper class segment is the only car (non-crossover) segment to improve in the first quarter of 2022 at +1% in an overall market down 13%. Still, it remains a very small class with just 0.3% of total European car sales.
Mercedes-Benz now monopolizes the top two spots with traditional leader S-Class down 28% and losing over 10 percentage point of share, which is more than made up by the arrival of the EQS all-electric sedan. This newcomer immediately lands in second place ahead of all non-Mercedes models. Together, the two siblings give Mercedes a 47% share of the class, up from 40.7% in the same period last year. BMW is in third and fourth place, with the 7-Series up 2% just when a new generation is about to land, and the 8-Series down 28%. As a result, the Bavarian brand loses just over 5 percentage points of share to 27.7%. That leaves just crumbs for the rest of the class, with the Audi A8 best of the rest thanks to sales up 23%. In contrast, the Porsche Panamera is down 24%. Uber luxury models like the Bentley Flying Spur (+35%), Rolls Royce Ghost (+33%), Maserati Quattroporte (+17%) and Rolls Royce Phantom (+160%) outperform but remain niche players. The Lexus LS never really broke through in Europe as it has in North America and carries the red lantern. With the new BMW i7 coming out soon and other brands also working on electric sedans, the battle will only intensify in coming years.
| Upper class | 2022-Q1 | 2021-Q1 | Change | 2022 share | 2021 share | |
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 2.603 | 3.596 | -28% | 29,2% | 40,7% |
| 2 | Mercedes-Benz EQS | 1.583 | 0 | New | 17,8% | 0,0% |
| 3 | BMW 7-series | 1.253 | 1.229 | 2% | 14,1% | 13,9% |
| 4 | BMW 8-series | 1.213 | 1.691 | -28% | 13,6% | 19,1% |
| 5 | Audi A8 / S8 | 1.056 | 859 | 23% | 11,9% | 9,7% |
| 6 | Porsche Panamera | 952 | 1.252 | -24% | 10,7% | 14,2% |
| 7 | Bentley Flying Spur | 115 | 85 | 35% | 1,3% | 1,0% |
| 8 | Rolls Royce Ghost | 68 | 51 | 33% | 0,8% | 0,6% |
| 9 | Maserati Quattroporte | 28 | 24 | 17% | 0,3% | 0,3% |
| 10 | Rolls Royce Phantom | 26 | 10 | 160% | 0,3% | 0,1% |
| 11 | Lexus LS | 14 | 29 | -52% | 0,2% | 0,3% |
| Segment total | 8.911 | 8.843 | 1% |
Car sales statistics are from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.