Sales of premium midsized cars are up 6% in the first half of 2015, which is slower than the 8% growth of the overall market, and much slower than the mainstream midsized segment. Like in Q1, the new generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class controls the segment with sales up 45% compared to the outgoing model last year. BMW loses ground, with the 3-series down 21% and the 4-series no longer able to make up for that loss, despite that model’s 60% growth. In third place, the Audi A4 is surprisingly stable, especially considering its successor has already been revealed. Perhaps the fact that it looks exactly the same as the outgoing model helps buyers convince to snatch a great deal on the old one. It now comes fully loaded and with a nice discount on top, while 90% of the population won’t notice the difference between the old and the new model.
The Volvo S60 and V60 remain strong a always in fifth place, as the Swedish brand is known for its very stable sales throughout the life cycle of its models. Volvo is the only contender able to somewhat challenge the German brands, who control 87,9% of this segment. However, a few brands are hoping to break that stranglehold and hope to grab a chunk of this lucrative part of the market. Jaguar has just started deliveries of its Jaguar XE, which already outsold the Lexus IS by a 2 : 1 ratio in June despite still being in run-up mode. The XE should be able to finish the year in the segment top-7, ahead of the Volkswagen CC.
And Alfa Romeo has just revealed the Giulia sedan, which will be introduced top-down, with the most powerful QV version being the first version available. This means the Giulia won’t storm the charts anytime soon, and we’ll have to wait until next year to see the model’s full sales potential.
2015 first half midsized premium car sales Europe
| Premium midsized car segment | H1 2015 | H1 2014 | Change | |
| 1. | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | 90.723 | 62.623 | 45% |
| 2. | BMW 3-series | 73.565 | 92.976 | -21% |
| 3. | Audi A4 / S4 / RS4 | 65.865 | 64.906 | 1% |
| 4. | BMW 4-series | 39.165 | 24.468 | 60% |
| 5. | Volvo S60 / V60 | 26.797 | 28.259 | -5% |
| 6. | Audi A5 / S5 / RS5 | 25.001 | 26.406 | -5% |
| 7. | Volkswagen CC | 6.197 | 8.453 | -27% |
| 8. | DS5 | 6.132 | 7.045 | -13% |
| 9. | Lexus IS | 4.076 | 5.600 | -27% |
| 10. | Jaguar XE | 2.456 | 0 | new |
| 11. | Infiniti Q50 | 1.587 | 1.137 | 40% |
| 12. | Lexus RC | 239 | 0 | new |
| 13. | Alpina B3 / D3 | 132 | 233 | -43% |
| Segment total | 341.803 | 321.873 | 6% |
Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2013 and monthly sales in 2012, 2013 and 2014, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site. Sources: Manufacturers, ANDC, JATO Dynamics.