Spoiler alert: A German automaker took the top spot last year.
BMW outsold every other luxury brand to become America’s best-seller in 2025. The German automaker sold 388,897 vehicles last year, a 4.7 percent increase. Lexus was the country’s second-best-selling luxury brand, with 370,260 cars sold.
Mercedes-Benz sold 303,200 cars in 2025, down from 324,528 in 2024. Cadillac leapt ahead of Audi this year, as sales for the Volkswagen Group brand tumbled 16 percent to just 164,942. Cadillac sales jumped 8.3 percent to 173,515.
Electric vehicles accounted for a whopping 28.3 percent of Cadillac sales and 10.9 percent of BMW sales, leading other luxury automakers. The United States ended its federal tax credit for EVs in September, with the segment suffering a significant sales decline in the last three months of the year.
2026 Acura Integra
Acura saw its sales increase by a meager 0.8 percent to 133,433. Volvo sales fell 3.0 percent to 121,607 last year, while Lincoln sold 106,868, an increase of 2.0 percent.
Nissan’s Infiniti brand saw one of the largest declines among luxury brands, falling 9.0 percent. Sales fell to 52,846 last year, less than half of pre-pandemic levels.
Infiniti has streamlined its portfolio in recent years, but it’s planning to launch some all-new models soon. One is a rear-wheel-drive sedan with a manual gearbox that sounds exciting.
2019 was the last year Infiniti sold more than 100,000 vehicles, and if it wants to reach that number again, it’ll have to fight Genesis for buyers. The Korean luxury brand, which just turned 10, outsold Infiniti once again, with 82,331 cars sold, with one of the largest increases—9.8 percent.
Infiniti QX65 Monograph badge
Infiniti hopes a rash of new products will resurrect sales, with plans to reach over 100,000 cars annually in America yet again. Mercedes is working on several new models for the United States as it aims to sell over 400,000 cars here within the next few years and dethrone BMW as the top luxury seller.
Audi, which has set its sights on beating Mercedes-Benz, wants to sell more than 2 million cars globally every year. The US’s new tariffs hit Audi especially hard in 2025, as the company builds its entire lineup outside the country. It is actively considering opening its first US factory, which could help revive its sales.
Despite the US’s lucrative luxury market, these automakers are struggling elsewhere, especially the Germans in China. Even in Europe, buyers are starting to turn away premium mid-size sedans, which used to be huge sellers for BMW, Mercedes, and Audi.
Motor1’s Take: Luxury brand sales held strong in 2025, propelling BMW to 388,897 units sold, but Mercedes-Benz wants to dethrone it, and it has a slate of new products coming. Despite complaints that cars are more expensive than ever, people continue to buy expensive luxury cars.
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