Sales of midsized premium SUVs in Europe keep growing even faster, at +44% in Q3, bringing the year-to-date tally for the first three quarters to +31%. None of the remaining nameplates has clocked a loss, but five out of ten show only single-digit gains, as over 40% of the segment growth can be attributed to a single brand: Mercedes-Benz. After years of slow sales due to a product that didn’t match the preferences of most buyers (the GLK), the German brand is now playing catch-up with the new GLC and GLC Coupe, immediately storming to third place of the segment. Ahead of the GLC are two elderly models, both about 8 years old already but still selling well in the final stages of their life cycle. The Volvo XC60 grows just 3% which means it loses about 4,5 percentage points of share, and the Audi Q5 improves 5% and loses 3,6 percentage points, but climbs back onto the podium after being relegated to 4th place in the first half of the year.
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The Q5 knocks the Range Rover Evoque off the podium again, despite a 28% growth for the model year-to-date, sellign almost as many units as Mercedes sells of the GLC and GLC Coupe combined. Its sister model Land Rover Discovery Sport is in fifth place, ahead of the two BMW models X3 and X4, which still outsell their Mercedes-Benz rivals when combining the Coupe model with the regular crossover: 54.835 sales for BMW, putting it in second place behind Volvo. The Porsche Macan seems determined to beat the BMW X4 for full-year sales, outselling the X4 by more almost 700 units in Q3 and closing in to within 50 units year-to-date. The Jaguar F-Pace outsold both of them to take 7th place in Q3 and is within spitting distance of the #9 spot currently occupied by the Lexus NX.
2016 Q1-Q3 premium midsized SUV sales Europe
| Midsized premium SUV segment | 2016 Q3 | 2015 Q3 | Change | |
| 1 | Volvo XC60 | 58.035 | 56.335 | 3% |
| 2 | Audi Q5 | 51.823 | 49.210 | 5% |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz GLC (incl. Coupe) | 50.139 | 3.288 | 1425% |
| 4 | Range Rover Evoque | 49.379 | 38.551 | 28% |
| 5 | Land Rover Discovery Sport | 37.057 | 21.340 | 74% |
| 6 | BMW X3 | 36.038 | 33.939 | 6% |
| 7 | BMW X4 | 18.797 | 18.207 | 3% |
| 8 | Porsche Macan | 18.750 | 18.225 | 3% |
| 9 | Lexus NX | 12.917 | 11.611 | 11% |
| 10 | Jaguar F-Pace | 12.643 | 0 | New |
| 11 | Mercedes-Benz GLK | 381 | 13.314 | -97% |
| 12 | Infiniti QX50 | 99 | 150 | -34% |
| 13 | Land Rover Freelander | 27 | 326 | -92% |
| Segment total | 346.085 | 264.496 | 31% |
Also check out the premium midsized SUV segment in the US, where the Lexus NX takes over the lead from the Acura RDX but Cadillac is still the biggest brand during the change from SRX to XT5.
Premium Compact Crossover segment
One size smaller, sales of premium compact crossovers improve at almost the same rate, at +29% as only the soon-to-be-replaced Mini Countryman loses volume. The Audi Q3 continues to add sales, as it has done so every year since its launch in 2011 and it holds on to the segment lead. However, the Q3 was outsold by the all-new BMW X1 in Q3 and it will become a tight race for the year-end segment lead. Still, I think the Q3 will prevail, but in 2017 it’s going to be more difficult to retain its crown. A meager 6% increase means the Mercedes-Benz GLA loses almost 5 percentage points of share and is firmly in third place, as the Countryman is the only loser of the segment. The next generation has already been revealed and will undoubtedly make Mini into a real contender in this segment again. Infiniti has just entered the segment with the GLA-based QX30, which is still in start-up mode
Also check out the premium compact SUV segment in the US, where the X1 has charged to the lead.
2016 Q1-Q3 premium compact crossover sales Europe
| Compact premium SUV segment | 2016 Q3 | 2015 Q3 | Change | |
| 1 | Audi Q3 | 70.980 | 62.939 | 13% |
| 2 | BMW X1 | 68.690 | 26.023 | 164% |
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz GLA | 49.617 | 46.890 | 6% |
| 4 | Mini Countryman / Paceman | 29.174 | 33.825 | -14% |
| 5 | Infiniti QX30 | 288 | 0 | New |
| Segment total | 218.749 | 169.677 | 29% |
Click on any model to see its annual sales from 1997-2016 and monthly sales from 2012 to 2016, or use the dropdown menu in the top right of this site.
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.