Infiniti Q50: 40,739

This sporty sedan from Infiniti gobbled up 40,739 sales for the No. 5 spot on the list of best selling luxury cars. Less and 100 cars separate the Q50 from the 5 Series. While that might be a good showing, sales were down 7.4 percent versus the previous year.

Advertisement

The car itself is a mixed bag. There’s great room up front and poor backseat space. You get good road dynamics but no shockingly great track capabilities. There’s lots of impressive technology, but poor fuel economy.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class/CLS-Class: 51,312

These two sedans share a platform and sales figures, which totaled 51,312 for 2017. It’s a good showing, considering that means a 0.8 percent increase versus the 2016 total.

Full redesigns of both the E-Class and the Mercedes-Benz CLS likely fueled increased attention, even with the trend toward crossovers. They’re loaded with more tech than the S-Class, which is a surprising move. And the interior for either one is one of the best in the industry. Still, don’t expect 2018 numbers to be nearly as high.

Lexus ES: 51,398

Once nothing more than a rebadged Toyota Avalon, the Lexus ES has really grown up. That improvement has helped the sedan survive the onslaught of crossover popularity.

Advertisement

It grabbed 51,398 sales for the year, which isn’t half bad. Still, that’s down more than 11 percent compared to 2016. But then that’s just the trend these days for the best selling luxury cars, or sedans of any kind.

It probably doesn’t hurt sales knowing that it’s the first Lexus to be manufactured in the United States, either.

View on One Page