Sales of large premium SUVs in Europe are up 25% in the first three quarters of 2016, significantly faster than the overall market at +7,5%, and at double the rate of growth in the US, where this segment grows 13%. However, in Europe this segment takes only 1,9% of total market volume, compared to 3,4% in the United States. The podium remains unchanged from the first half of the year, with the BMW X5 still in the lead, ahead of the two newest entries in the top-10: Volvo XC90 and Audi Q7, unable to fight for the lead despite being much fresher than the X5. In fact, the Mercedes-Benz GLE also outsold them both in Q3 and moves into fourth place year-to-date, passing the Range Rover Sport. The entire top-4 of the segment is available with a plug-in hybrid option, which has helped popularity of the segment as a whole.
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 Land Rover Discovery, in the final stages of its life cycle as the much sleeker successor has already been revealed, is enjoying a second youth in terms of sales, up 53,5% in Q3, outselling the Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne this quarter, as both are down double digits. Year-to-date, the Disco is up 27%, threatening these two VW Group siblings for a top-6 position, a place the nameplate last held in 2007. The Range Rover is down 8% this year and was outsold in Q3 by the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe. The latter also bested its main rival BMW X6 by more than 300 units, not enough to challenge it for 11th place by year end, but nonetheless an impressive performance from the Benz. The Lexus RX is the brand’s only model not at or near the bottom of its segment in Europe, as it more than doubles up thanks to the new generation. The Mercedes-Benz GLS and G-Class are both up with impressive figures, but were still both outsold by the Tesla Model X in the third quarter. The two newcomers in the segment are still at the bottom of the ranking: the Maserati Levante looks set to pass the Infiniti QX70 by year end, while a monthly selling rate of 100 units is actually pretty impressive for the ultraluxury Bentley Bentayga, a model not intended to storm the charts, similar to the upcoming Rolls Royce Cullinan.
Also check out the premium large SUV segment in the US, where the Mercedes GLE loses its 2nd place to the Acura MDX again.
| Premium large SUV segment | 2016 Q3 | 2015 Q3 | Change | |
| 1 | BMW X5 | 28.180 | 28.315 | 0% |
| 2 | Volvo XC90 | 26.386 | 10.188 | 159% |
| 3 | Audi Q7 | 24.430 | 13.409 | 82% |
| 4 | Mercedes-Benz GLE | 22.649 | 2.216 | 922% |
| 5 | Range Rover Sport | 21.728 | 21.903 | -1% |
| 6 | Volkswagen Touareg | 12.888 | 16.705 | -23% |
| 7 | Porsche Cayenne | 12.205 | 14.205 | -14% |
| 8 | Land Rover Discovery | 12.038 | 9.495 | 27% |
| 9 | Range Rover | 10.214 | 11.142 | -8% |
| 10 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 9.904 | 10.021 | -1% |
| 11 | BMW X6 | 9.493 | 10.983 | -14% |
| 12 | Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe | 8.443 | 2.089 | 304% |
| 13 | Lexus RX | 6.900 | 2.678 | 158% |
| 14 | Mercedes-Benz GL/GLS | 4.132 | 2.979 | 39% |
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | 3.035 | 2.027 | 50% |
| 16 | Tesla Model X | 1.889 | 0 | New |
| 17 | Infiniti QX70 | 1.137 | 1.166 | -2% |
| 18 | Maserati Levante | 900 | 0 | New |
| 19 | Bentley Bentayga | 693 | 0 | New |
| 20 | Land Rover Defender | 168 | 868 | -81% |
| 21 | Mercedes-Benz R-Class | 3 | 7 | -57% |
| Segment total | 217.415 | 174.605 | 25% |
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.