Meanwhile BMW was a close second with 22,455 cars and trucks sold in May, its soon to be renewed X5 not even out yet while a completely new compact X3 is waiting in the wings. Mercedes-Benz's G-wagon makes up in profits what it doesn't in sales volume, but its ML helped the brand to its third place in U.S. sales at 19,167 units.
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| BMW was second with 22,455 units sold in the U.S. in May, with the X5 making up a large percentage. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
What premium brand was fourth? Acura managed to sell 16,495 vehicles of which 31 percent were 7-passenger MDX SUVs in May, with Cadillac tailgating with 16,171 units sold with 30 percent Escalades, a figure that should rise again once the CTS-based XRS arrives in the fall.
America's alternative heavy-hitter Lincoln sold off 15,478 units for 6th spot, a whopping 44 percent being Navigators and Aviators - although the latter is selling so poorly Ford's domestic luxury brand has already cancelled it.
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| 29% of the 13,120 new cars delivered in the U.S. by Volvo in May were XC90s. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
Its much more agile Ford Motor sibling Volvo delivered 13,120 new cars and SUVs, 29 percent of which were XC90s - it might have been more if a ship full hadn't sank earlier in the model year.
While the lowest among luxury SUVs in J. D. Powers and Associates quality studies, Land Rover represented 29% of combined Land Rover/Jaguar sales of 8,016 units, the lowest sales of any mainstream SUV maker.
OK, it could be said that Hummer has gone middle of the road with its Chevy Tahoe based Hummer H2, which for the first time ever launched the brand out of three digit figures to a total of 2,911 units sold in the U.S.