Driving By Numbers: Canada's 10 best-selling luxury auto brands in 2021's first-half

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Luxury auto brands are a hot commodity in Canada as the auto market quickly battles its way back from the depths of the pandemic.

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Though 2020 was brutal on all automakers, it was especially challenging for top-tier premium brands. Canada’s top three luxury marques — a German triumvirate from Ingolstadt, Stuttgart, and Munich — combined for a 26 per cent decline valued at 29,000 lost sales in a market that was down only 20 per cent by year’s end.

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Yet the same premium brands that failed to effectively sail through the headwinds last year are now being propelled forward at a rapid rate by market-wide tailwinds. Auto sales in Canada this year are up 33 per cent, indicative of meaningful recovery if not a wholesale return to the normal highs of the last decade. But premium auto brands reported a 47 per cent uptick during the first-half of 2021, a collective increase of more than 33,000 vehicles. Market share is up by more than a point to 12 per cent, meaning Canadians buy luxury brand vehicles — of all stripes — almost as often as Canadians buy Toyotas.

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So everything has returned to normal in the high-priced land of Nappa leather, Bang & Olufsen, and confounding alphanumeric badges? Not exactly. There’s an upset in the works. It’s not final, of course, as 2021 has six months of auto sales returns through which to sort. But if the second-half of 2021 follows the path of January-to-June, we’ll be crowning a new No.1 premium auto brand in Canada after many long years of steady market share gains.

10. Lincoln: 3,625, up 28 per cent

As Lincoln’s Ford parent struggles to get enough of Canada’s best-selling vehicle (the F-Series pickup) into the hands of its customers, Lincoln is fading in a fast-moving premium market. Take the Navigator as an example. While its Cadillac Escalade rival more than doubled its volume to nearly 1,700 units in 2021’s first-half, Navigator volume is up “just” 51 per cent to 641 units. There are no Lincoln cars to speak of; and only 35 leftover sales to tally. Lincoln’s three top-selling models — Corsair, Aviator, Nautilus — combined for 2,949 sales between January and June. That’s up barely more than 100 sales per month compared to last year at this time.

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9. Porsche: 4,708, up 102 per cent

Among Canada’s 10 best-selling premium brands, none are rebounding at quite the same rate as Porsche. Macan sales have more than doubled, year-over-year. Combined Boxster and Cayman volume is nearly five times stronger than during 2020’s first-half. The 911 and Cayenne both reported 68-per cent upticks. 445 Taycans have been sold this year, up from 71 in the first six months of 2020. It works out to twice as many Porsches. Not only is volume improved compared to 2020’s disastrous start, Porsche is 10 per cent beyond 2019’s pace, as well.

8. Volvo: 5,143, up 67 per cent

Stunningly stylish, Volvo’s core model is now the XC40. Not coincidentally, the XC40 is also Volvo’s most affordable. 1,829 XC40s were sold in 2021’s first six months, placing the XC40 ahead of the Lexus UX, Mercedes-Benz GLA and GLB, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Cadillac XT4, Lincoln Corsair, and BMW X1. Though not nearly as popular as the Audi Q3, the XC40 is a hit. It’s part of the reason Volvo SUV sales are up by nearly 1,900 units so far this year.

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7. Land Rover: 5,376, up 41 per cent

While Land Rover’s Jaguar partner stumbles — sales are actually down despite 2021’s overall surge — the SUV-only Land Rover brand is solidifying its place among mainstream luxury brands. Picture this: a decade ago, Land Rover sold 3,228 vehicles in an entire calendar year. Now, as the market exits a pandemic, Land Rover sells that many vehicles in under four months. Land Rover’s latest boost comes from the Defender.

6. Acura: 8,135, up 41 per cent

The new MDX isn’t Acura’s only source of good news, but it’s a major story for Honda’s upmarket outlet. The MDX is a long-running three-row utility vehicle now in its fourth iteration. Sales rose a staggering 148 per cent so far this year. Combined, the MDX and its two-row RDX crossover sibling produce four out of every five Acuras sold in Canada.

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5. Cadillac: 8,401, up 83 per cent

Second only to Porsche in terms of Canada’s fastest recoveries in the luxury market, Cadillac’s 83 per cent year-over-year surge translates to 3,809 more sales than Cadillac managed in the first six months of 2020. 2021 has certainly been kind to GM’s luxury marque, particularly its flagship model. Escalade volume totalled 1,693 units between January and June, up 153 per cent from last year.

4. Lexus: 12,405, up 45 per cent

Much of the credit for the improvement at Toyota’s premium brand over the last half-decade belongs to the NX, Lexus’s No.2 seller. Sure, the RX pumps out greater volume. But the NX’s addition to the fleet as an entry-level competitor (now undercut by the new entry-level UX) changed the fortunes of Lexus in Canada. For example, Lexus now outsells its Japanese rival, Acura, by 52 per cent. In 2014, just as the NX arrived, Acura was outselling Lexus by an 11-per cent margin.

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3. BMW: 15,125, up 35 per cent

BMW is keeping pace with the market at large in Canada, but that’s not nearly enough to keep pace with high-flying Audi, a brand BMW was leading by a 6-per cent margin at this stage one year ago. BMW’s in a strange position: its cars are recovering more than twice as fast as its crossovers. The 2 Series, 3 Series, and 4 Series are up a combined 72 per cent in 2021’s first-half.

2. Mercedes-Benz: 16,211, up 26 per cent

If these numbers seem low, keep in mind the exclusion of Mercedes-Benz’s commercial vans. The Sprinter and Metris add another 2,319 sales to the Benz tally. Even without those cargo vans, Mercedes-Benz is hardly short on variety. A, C, CLA, E, S, SL, G, GLS, GLB, GLC, GLE — these aren’t medical abbreviations, they’re just some of Mercedes-Benz’s vehicles. While the G-labelled SUVs surged 43 per cent ahead of 2020’s first-half pace over the last six months, the brand’s extensive car lineup fell 5 per cent. To catch Audi and return to its No.1 position, Mercedes-Benz will need those SUVs to surge even higher — the cars are unlikely to respond adequately.

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1. Audi: 17,046, up 60 per cent

Perennially ranked No.3, Audi began showing leadership skills even before 2018 (when the Q5 became Canada’s top-selling premium brand vehicle). Audi sales jumped 271 per cent between 2005 and 2015. That was a sign that Audi had the gold medal position in mind. Fast forward to 2021, and Audi’s massive 60-per cent year-over-year gains have propelled the brand to an 835-unit lead over Mercedes-Benz. That’s surmountable, sure, but it’s not nothing. Where does Audi make hay? The letter Q is all important: Q3, Q5, Q7, and Q8. Those four models account for nearly three-quarters of the brand’s Canadian volume.