- Acura was the only US luxury brand to see sales increase in the first quarter.
- Acura sales rose 5.2 percent with 32,352 cars sold.
- The Japanese brand is currently ranked as the fourth best-selling luxury brand, surpassing Cadillac.
The first three months of this year were not a good period for luxury car sales in the United States. BMW, Lexus and Mercedes, the top three sellers, all saw sales decline, but it wasn’t a bad quarter for the Japanese brand.
Acura sales increased 5.2 percent in the first quarter of 2026, with the brand selling 32,352 cars compared to 30,766 in the same period in 2025. Those sales were driven by the Integra and MDX, which saw sales increases of 25.6 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.
ADX sales rose by 4,318 percent, but that’s because Acura only sold 178 crossovers in the first quarter of 2025, which is when they first went on sale. The company has sold 7,864 ADX so far this year.
Acura is currently the fourth best-selling luxury brand in the United States, surpassing Cadillac which saw its sales decline by 25.5 percent.
Leader of Luxury
BMW continues to outsell its rivals, with 84,231 vehicles sold so far this year, down 3.9 percent. The brand’s passenger cars took a hit with a decline of 17.3 percent, while sales of crossovers and SUVs increased by 9.5 percent.
Lexus was in second place with 80,952, down 2.5 percent. Like BMW, the automaker’s car sales fell by 43 percent while Lexus SUV sales increased by 6.7 percent, with the RX, TX and LX strengthening. Mercedes reported sales fell 3.0 percent in the first quarter to 70,000.
- BMW — 84,231 Units
- Lexus — 80,952 Units
- Mercedes-Benz — 70,000 Units
- Acura — 32,352 Units
Everyone else
Cadillac sold 31,098 cars in the last quarter, down from 41,757 in 2025. Audi saw its sales drop 30 percent, selling just 29,886 vehicles in the three months. Every Audi crossover and SUV saw sales decline, especially the electric variants. Sales for the A3, A5, and A6 increased 1.0 percent, 6.0 percent, and 9.0 percent, respectively.
Volvo is another car manufacturer that experienced a drastic decline, namely down 32 percent. The automaker sold just 22,651 vehicles, 1,000 fewer than Lincoln, which sold 23,610 vehicles. Sales of Ford’s luxury brand fell just 0.5 percent.
Infiniti sold just 12,750 vehicles from January to March, down 3.2 percent. The QX60 is the brand’s best-selling model by a wide margin, accounting for about 75 percent of the brand’s sales.
- Cadillac — 31,098 Units
- Audi — 29,886 Units
- Lincoln — 23,610 Units
- Volvo — 22,651 Units
- Infiniti — 12,750 2025 Units
Motorcycle Pickup1: Some luxury brands assemble most of their vehicles outside the United States and had to raise prices due to tariffs last year, such as Audi. This affects sales, and may encourage some brands to move production to America.
