Top 10 Luxury Car Brands In The World

Luxury cars has always been a hot topic, so we decided to enlist the top 10 luxury car brands in the world. Luxury car sales account for roughly 18% of the total unit overall cars sold around the world. Over the last 10 years, premium car sales growth has surpassed that of non-premium cars. However, experts think luxury car sales will lose steam in the coming years as buyers are starting to prefer petrol cars instead of diesel cars. This trend has resulted in car makers shifting their focus towards SUVs, which outsold luxury cars for the first time in 2016. However, luxury car buyers around the world are often loyal to the brand and the persistent economic polarity in almost all parts of the world will keep the market share of Tier 1 luxury cars undamaged, as the rich are getting even richer every year. Luxury car brands are giving revolutionary features in their latest cars, including the much-awaited “connected car” systems, advanced infotainment apps, security systems, Wi-fi, real-time location services and routing based on traffic conditions.

The US automotive industry is expected to change radically under the Trump administration. Last month, President Trump met with executives of General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler in Detroit and demanded them to move their manufacturing plants back in the country. Experts think that car manufacturing in the US will result in increased prices. The Center for Automotive Research estimates that a Ford Fusion sedan will cost $1,200 more if produced in the US due to higher wages and production costs. Similarly, Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, recently said that if the new government starts imposing tariffs on imports of car parts, customers will have to pay $1,000 more for a Toyota Camry, the nation’s best-selling car.

To make things worse, the Wall Street is expecting the first ever decline in car sales in 2017 after almost seven years. Total car sales in the current year are expected to come in at 17.3 million units, compared to 17.55 million in 2016.

German automobile companies take top positions in the list of top 10 luxury car brands. BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz account for nearly 80% share of the global luxury car market. Let’s find out all the top 10 luxury car brands in the world. We are ranking these popular luxury car brands based on unit sales for the year 2016.

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10. Ferrari

Italian car company Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE), which went public in the US in 2016, is famous for its sports and luxury cars. Ferrari was spun-off from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE:FCAU) in 2016. Ferrari’s famous luxury cars include 2016 Ferrari California, Ferrari 488 GTB, Ferrari FF, and the Ferrari LaFerrari hypercar. Ferrari sold over 8,000 vehicles worldwide in 2016.

9. Acura

Acura is the luxury car division of Japanese car company Honda Motor Co Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:HMC). Acura’s flagship luxury car, the Legend, got a huge success around the world in late 1980s, and inspired car companies like Toyota and Nissan to start their own luxury car lines. Acura’s famous cars include full-size luxury sedan RLX, TLX, MDX, and CDX. In 2016, Honda sold around 12,200 Acura vehicles.

8. Tesla

Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is one of the top selling luxury car brands in the world. The company’s all-electric luxury Model S sedan sales increased by a whopping 59% in the third quarter of 2016, surpassing the total sales of its competitors, Mercedes-Benz S Class and BMW 7 Series, by a significant margin. Tesla’s Model X has a share of 6% in the luxury SUV market. Tesla claims that its Model X outsold Porsches and Land Rovers in the third quarter. Model S is also one of the best-selling luxury cars in Europe. Tesla delivered a total of 76,230 vehicles in 2016, less than its goal of 80,000.

7. Porsche

Porsche, is a German car company which makes high-performance sports cars, luxury cars and SUVs. Porsche is also owned by Volkswagen AG. Porsche’s acclaimed luxury cars include Porsche Panamera, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Macan, and Porsche 911. Porsche sold 5,500 cars in the US in November 2016, a record for the company. For the full year 2016, the Stuttgart-based automaker sold a total of 237,778 vehicles around the world.

6. Cadillac

Cadillac is the luxury car division of General Motors Company (NYSE:GM). GM acquired Cadillac in 1909. Cadillac’s U.S. sales came in at 170,006 units in 2016. Among Cadillac’s most popular luxury cars are Cadillac CTS-V, ATS COUPE, CTS-V SEDAN, and XTS SEDAN. Cadillac’s sales in 2016 reached 308,692 units, the highest since 1986.

5. Volvo

AB Volvo is a Swedish car company which started its business in 1927. Volvo’s famous luxury cars include SUV XC90 and sedan S90. 2015 was Volvo’s second consecutive year of record sales. Volvo had been acquired by Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) in 1999 for $6.5 billion, but the US-based company sold it to China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group for $1.8 billion in 2010. Volvo’s total unit sales in 2016 jumped by 6.2% to 534,332 cars.

4. Lexus

Number 4 on our list of luxury car brands in the world is the Toyota Motor Corp (ADR) (NYSE:TM) whose luxury car division, Lexus, is Japan’s largest-selling brand of premium cars, and also ranks among the top selling luxury car brands in the US. Lexus luxury car line made famed cars like Lexus IS350 AWD, Lexus ES 300h Sedan, Lexus LS 460 Sedan and Lexus CT 200h Hatchback . In 2015, Lexus was the second most-sold car brand in the US. Lexus’ global sales in 2016 increased by 4% to 677,615 vehicles.

3. Audi

Bavaria, Germany-based Audi, part of Volkswagen AG, is famous for its luxury cars which are relatively affordable. Audi’s global sales in 2016 increased by 3.8% to reach 1.87 million vehicles. The company’s most famous luxury cars include Audi RS6 Avant, A4 Sedan, A8, and A6. Audi was the first ever car company to produce 100% galvanized cars for corrosion prevention.

2. Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz stands second in the list of top 10 luxury car brands in the world. The German automaker’s renowned luxury cars include Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, among others. Mercedes sold 340,237 luxury cars in the US and over 2.08 million cars around the world in 2016.

1. BMW

BMW ranks on the first position in the list of top 10 luxury car brands in the world. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW is a German luxury car company which was founded in 1916. BMW is one of the top selling luxury car brands in the US, with a total of 313,174 unit sales recorded in 2016. The company’s global sales in 2016 came in at 2.36 million, an increase of 5.3% compared with the previous year. BMW has a separate product line of luxury cars, called “Luxury Line” and it also makes small premium cars under the MINI brand and Rolls-Royce.

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