Luxury Car Sales in U.S. Slide in Q1 2026, Acura Defies Trend with Growth

In the first quarter of 2026, U.S. luxury vehicle sales declined overall. The three top-selling brands—BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz—all reported year-over-year decreases. BMW sold 84,231 vehicles, down 3.9% year-over-year. Sedan sales dropped sharply by 17.3%, while crossover and SUV sales rose by 9.5%. Lexus recorded sales of 80,952 units, a 2.5% decline from the same period last year. Its sedan sales plummeted by 43%, whereas SUV sales increased by 6.7%. Mercedes-Benz sold 70,000 vehicles, down 3.0% year-over-year. Acura emerged as one of the few brands to post growth, with sales reaching 32,352 units—an increase of 5.2% year-over-year. The Integra model saw sales jump by 25.6%, and MDX sales rose by 2.7%. The all-new ADX, which debuted in Q1 2025, sold 7,864 units—a staggering 4,318% increase compared to just 178 units in the same period of 2025. Fueled by this strong performance, Acura climbed to become the fourth-largest luxury brand in the U.S., surpassing Cadillac, whose sales fell 25.5% to 31,098 units. Most other luxury brands also experienced declines: Audi sold 29,886 vehicles, down 30% year-over-year, with all its crossovers and SUVs posting lower sales; only the A3, A5, and A6 sedans saw modest gains of 1.0%, 6.0%, and 9.0%, respectively. Volvo’s sales totaled 22,651 units, a 32% drop, while Lincoln sold 23,610 vehicles, down just 0.5%. Infiniti reported sales of 12,750 units, down 3.2%, with the QX60 accounting for approximately 75% of its total volume.