Compact Luxury Cars
The midsized premium car segment has rebounded from its lowest figure in a few decades, increasing a modest 5% thanks to a handful of new and redesigned models. 4 out of the 9 models that haven’t been discontinued lose sales, with the biggest hit taken by the segment leader BMW 3-series, after peaking at over 200,000 sales for the first time since 2008. There are two major reasons for the sharp drop in 3-series deliveries; one is the renaming of the model’s coupe and convertible versions to 4-series, as combined sales of the 3 and 4 are still up on 2013. The second reason is the introduction of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, up 13% but that’s still the nameplate’s second lowest figure since its introduction two decades ago.
Pushed down by the C-Class into third place, and hitting its lowest sales since its introduction as well, the Audi A4 is still surprisingly stable for a model that’s due to be replaced soon, at just -3%. With the new generation ready to reach showrooms in the middle of the year, the A4 should be able to rebound in 2015.
