Sales of premium midsized cars in Europe slightly declined in the second quarter of 2017, which leads to a slim 2% increase in the first half, to 378.426 sales. Of course that handily beats the 16% loss for the mainstream midsized segment, which is now almost 100.000 sales behind its luxury version. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class increases its share of the segment to over 25% thanks to a 5% increase in Q2, and it remains unchallenged by either of its two rivals Audi A4 and BMW 3-series, which both lose volume. The A4 is actually in serious trouble with a 22% loss in Q2 and not all of these losses can be attributed to the new generation Audi A5, as that model may be up 51% in the second quarter but in absolute terms Audi is still down 4.400 sales. One sidenote to the figures of the C-Class: they include sales of the coupe and convertible versions, which BMW and Audi sell under separate nameplates. When looking at combined figures, Audi takes the semgent lead with 110.822 sales, just ahead of BMW with 108.303 sales.
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
The BMW 4-series was outsold by the new Audi A5 in the second quarter, by less than 100 sales and therefore remains in fourth place for the first half, but the Audi will start to close the gap in the second half of the year. Volvo remains best of the rest but its aging S60 and V60 lose a harsh 20% in the second quarter. The Alfa Romeo Giulia sold an average of 2.500 units in Q2, way ahead of the Jaguar XE and as a result climbs to 7th place with a 3,7% share of the segment year-to-date (4% in Q2) and a comfortable margin to the XE, which is down a worrying 22% in Q2. Keep in mind both these models lack the availability of a station wagon version and therefore fail to compete in 55% of the segment. With coupes and convertibles another 12%, sedans are only a third of the segment in Europe. The DS5 loses almost half of its volume and barely sold more than 500 copies a month, but still remains ahead of the Lexus IS. The Infiniti Q50 has run out of steam and is down 41% in the second quarter, while its coupe version Q60 arrived with 300 sales, giving the Lexus RC (down 52%) a run for its money.
We also welcome the Volkswagen Arteon, landing at 9th place in Q2 and not far behind the XE in June. Later this year, the C-Class and IS will be facelifted, but the big news won’t arrive until 2018 with the next generation 3-Series.
Also check out the premium midsized car segment in the US, where the BMW 3-series and 4-Series combined also still lead the ranking ahead of the C-Class and the Infiniti Q50/Q60.
| Premium midsized car segment | 2017-H1 | 2016-H1 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 97.484 | 88.339 | 10% | 25,8% |
| 2 | Audi A4 / S4 / RS4 | 78.204 | 85.171 | -8% | 20,7% |
| 3 | BMW 3-series | 72.096 | 76.204 | -5% | 19,1% |
| 4 | BMW 4-series | 36.207 | 37.161 | -3% | 9,6% |
| 5 | Audi A5 / S5 / RS5 | 32.618 | 24.777 | 32% | 8,6% |
| 6 | Volvo S60/V60 | 24.707 | 26.507 | -7% | 6,5% |
| 7 | Alfa Romeo Giulia | 14.156 | 1.637 | 765% | 3,7% |
| 8 | Jaguar XE | 11.801 | 14.084 | -16% | 3,1% |
| 9 | DS5 | 3.359 | 5.903 | -43% | 0,9% |
| 10 | Lexus IS | 3.076 | 3.397 | -9% | 0,8% |
| 11 | Volkswagen Arteon | 1.921 | 0 | New | 0,5% |
| 12 | Infiniti Q50 | 1.064 | 1.383 | -23% | 0,3% |
| 13 | Lexus RC | 785 | 1.002 | -22% | 0,2% |
| 14 | Volkswagen CC | 649 | 3.793 | -83% | 0,2% |
| 15 | Infiniti Q60 | 299 | 0 | New | 0,1% |
| Segment total | 378.426 | 369.358 | 2% |
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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.