Trivia time: which cars combined to sell less than half as often in the United States in the first two months of 2015 as the BMW 3-Series and its 4-Series two-door (and four-door) offshoot?
The Audi A4 and Cadillac ATS. Or a number of other pairings listed in the chart below. Take your pick.
The BMW’s dominance in this executive saloon slash entry-level luxury slash sports sedan slash compact premium segment is long heralded. In January and February, 3-Series/4-Series sales grew at a faster rate than its category. The aging Audi A4 and the oft-ignored Cadillac ATS, among others, suffered notable slowdowns.
Without resorting to including every possible competitor under the sun – Accord V6! Golf GTI! – simply because those are the cars internet commenters say they’d prefer, we have made a conscious attempt to showcase manufacturer-supplied U.S. sales figures in an exhaustive fashion below. Rather than simply displaying the Acura TLX, for example, there’s a line which shows the full sales impact of the TLX and its predecessor duo.
Since the sales figures for the class leader, BMW’s 3-Series, aren’t broken down by bodystyle or even by 3er and 4er (as they are in Canada), it seems only fair to showcase the Audi, Infiniti, and Lexus product lines similarly. Mercedes-Benz USA’s numbers for the C-Class are similarly confined. This isn’t an abnormal practice, but don’t confuse our attempts to break out as many figures as possible in as many ways as possible with an attempt to display 3-Series and C-Class figures in a restrained fashion.
Regardless, isn’t it nice to see not just Volvo 60-Series sales data, but S60 and V60 figures, too? And not just the V60, but the V60 Cross Country? Good on Volvo for oversharing.
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Auto
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Feb. 2015
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Feb. 2014
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% Change
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2 mos. 2015
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2 mos. 2014
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% Change
|
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Acura T Sedans
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3,445 | 2,391 | 44.1% | 6,361 | 4,652 | 36.7% |
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Acura TL
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22 | 1,480 | -98.5% | 40 | 2,848 | -98.6% |
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Acura TLX
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3,419 | — | — | 6,311 | — | — |
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Acura TSX
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4 | 911 | -99.6% | 10 | 1,804 | -99.4% |
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Audi A4/A5
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2,755 | 3,527 | -21.9% | 5,388 | 6,950 | -22.5% |
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Audi A4 Sedan
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1,743 | 2,216 | -21.3% | 3,306 | 4,410 | -25.0% |
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Audi A4 Allroad
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181 | 281 | -35.6% | 408 | 585 | -30.3% |
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Audi A5
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831 | 1,030 | -19.3% | 1,674 | 1,955 | -14.4% |
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BMW 3-Series & 4-Series
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8,748 | 7,791 | 12.3% | 16,096 | 14,285 | 12.7% |
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Cadillac ATS
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2,028 | 2,427 | -16.4% | 3,785 | 4,336 | -12.7% |
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Infiniti Q/G
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5,638 | 4,613 | 22.2% | 10,099 | 8,877 | 13.8% |
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Infiniti Q40/G Sedan
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1,643 | 927 | 77.2% | 2,672 | 1,829 | 46.1% |
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Infiniti Q50
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3,649 | 3,275 | 11.4% | 6,615 | 6,224 | 6.3% |
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Infiniti Q60/G Coupe
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346 | 411 | -15.8% | 812 | 824 | -1.5% |
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Lexus IS/RC
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4,367 | 3,517 | 24.2% | 8,589 | 6,565 | 30.8% |
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Lexus IS
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3,383 | 3,517 | -3.8% | 6,758 | 6,565 | 2.9% |
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Lexus RC
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984 | — | — | 1,831 | — | — |
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Mercedes-Benz C-Class
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7,072 | 5,621 | 25.8% | 13,308 | 11,369 | 17.1% |
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Volvo 60-Series
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1,612 | 1,913 | -15.7% | 3,303 | 3,557 | -7.1% |
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Volvo S60
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1,203 | 1,578 | -24.0% | 2,574 | 2,900 | -11.0% |
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Volvo V60
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339 | 335 | 1.0% | 631 | 657 | -4.0% |
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Volvo V60 Cross Country
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70 | — | — | 98 | — | — |
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—
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—
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— | — | — | — | — |
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Total
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35,665
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31,800 | 12.2% | 66,929 | 60,591 | 10.5% |
We left out the true entry-level premium brand cars like Audi’s A3, the BMW 2-Series, and Mercedes-Benz’s CLA; Buick’s Regal (down 32% to 2481 year-to-date), as well.
As for the numbers as they stand through the two lowest-volume auto sales months of the year, Mercedes-Benz’s new C-Class is the real mover and shaker. Sales are up 17% compared with the same period one year ago, but that actually translates to an 8% loss compared with the first two months of 2013, when the C-Class was easily outselling the BMW 3-Series.
After a period of great acceptance at the end of 2013, the Infiniti Q50 – which generated 10,459 sales in the final two months of 2013 – has averaged only 3100 monthly sales since. Hindered by the more affordable Q40, formerly the G sedan? One would imagine.
Cadillac ATS sales have decreased on a year-over-year basis in ten consecutive months and in 13 of the last 14 months.
2014 was the best year since 2007 for the Lexus IS. With the RC stealing some of the limelight, it might be difficult for the IS to top last year’s 51,358-unit performance.
Audi’s A4/A5 line is ancient, but keep the A3 in mind: total Audi car sales are up 5.3% this year despite A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, R8, and TT declines thanks to the A3’s 4099 extra sales compared with the first two months of 2014.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
Since the vast majority of you have either weak credit or damaged credit after the housing crisis…
…and the only other option to feed your badgewhoring nature would be buying a used car – which probably wasn’t taken care of and will give you a negative impression of our brand…
…we present you with cheap cars with tiny engines that AT LEAST carry our name badge so you don’t feel poor and you can ride with your head high as you pass by the “lesser” members of society in their lowly Sonata’s Subaru’s, Camry and Accords…
…nevermind that its driving dynamics are weak or that it’s louder than any “luxury” car has any right to be due tho the overworked engine being blown by hairdryers…
You too can “drive a MERCEEEEEDEEEZ”.
You can pull up to the Wal Mart with an expression on your face:
“I’ve made it”.
“I’ve arrived”.
“…nevermind that its driving dynamics are weak”
No weaker then my finances after the “housing crisis”
EXACTLY lol!
It’s not often I agree with BTS, but he is right on. I don’t know who these people are (I live in suburbia, among conservative people), but BMW and MB are definitely finding and exploiting this market.
Agreeing with me is a function of common sense.
If you go to the big cities, people are extremely conscious about self-image and most of that consciousness is embedded in their car.
You can have a massive multi-million-dollar mansion but you CAN’T DRIVE YOUR MANSION to show off to people.
On the road, you ARE your CAR.
Whether you are SRT, P85D, V-series, M, STi, AMG…
We are all Badgewhores.
For those of us who don’t have credit strong enough to get a car, you can be either Apple or Android.
I’m getting the black iWatch Sport so the Federal Government can track my whereabouts and my heartbeat when I travel abroad. Getting packed for Dubai – Seychelles in April. Be sure to tune in!
Not everyone is as insecure as you. I drive a Civic, wear cheap clothes and in doing so have the means to afford to live in a nice house in a nice neighborhood, go on nice vacations, eat out whenever I want, have all kinds of toys etc. Status matters to everyone, including me… but when chasing status is messing up your finances or influencing your major life decisions you’re doing it wrong. It being life of course.
“Getting packed for Dubai”
This has international incident written all over it. Enjoy!
Thinking that a brand defines you is falling victim to marketing bullsh!t.
Am I a different person if I drive my Volvo wagon on Monday, my Toyota oickup on Tuesday, my Mazda MX-5 on Wednesday or my old Datsun Roadster on Thursday?
Spending money, especially lots of money that you have to borrow, to impress people that you don’t even know or care about, is the height of gillibility and foolishness.
Not everyone is a “badge-whore.”
Otherwise, the original LS400 wouldn’t have had the phenomenal success it did back when the Lexus brand had no cachet (much less awareness).
The Germans have, however, stepped up their game (aside from the CLA) which is why the Japanese lux brands have been faltering in selling higher end sedans.
True enough, but Hyundai is still having problems replicating this. Having driven a Genesis and seeing the new one at a car sow this spring, the product is definitely there, but people’s perception is not yet.
At least I’m pretty sure I can snag a low-mileage 3 year old one for around $20k in a few years when I’m looking to replace my daily driver Mazda 3 with something more civilized.
@duffman13
Except, the Genesis YTD is the THIRD best selling midsize luxury sedan after the 5 Series and E Class and in Canada, the Genesis sells in many multiples of the Lexus GS.
why not? German ‘premium’ cars aren’t special anymore. The average price of a new car is about $32k, or roughly what a modestly optioned entry level German sedan will cost. So should it be so surprising that average priced cars show up in average communities?
Right, but try to find a German car without options. You’ll have to order it, pay MSRP, and wait for them to build it.
The cars on dealer lots have 5 figures of options on top of the MSRPs.
Which still makes them about the same price as a Cowboy Cadillac or a loaded minivan.
My 3-series wagon had a lower MSRP than my Mom’s last minivan, actually.
Um, as it pertains to MERCEEEEEDEEEZ, this is about the C-Class, which tops out at comfortably north of $60k. Likewise, the 4-Series goes for 5-series money, easily, once options are thrown in. The A3, CLA250, or the ATS, you’d have a point.
look up the average transaction prices for the cars instead of maxing out the options. A4’s AVERAGE out at about $35k, which means there are cheaper and pricier models on the road.
The A4 starts at $35,500. If their average transaction price is about $35k, they have some ‘splainin’ to do.
It’s called a discount – nobody pays MSRP for anything. I got ~$5500 off my last BMW purchase, and nearly $7K off my current order.
And the IS250 (which makes up 90% of IS sales) has the same ATP as the CLA.
The A4 is at the end of its life-cycle and can be had in FWD form, so its lower ATP is understandable.
That Cadillac ATS (and CTS, btw) are really taking it to zeee Germans – especially BMW and their 3 Series!
Johan has gotten the exclusively he craved with the ATS & CTS, and they’re becoming more exclusive with each passing month.
I bet that the CTS-LWB, aka CT6,will be uber exclusive.
Dare Greatly
Fail Greatly, fixed it for you.
I know that DeadWeight does not like the Cadillac ATS, but when I drove a rented one, it was a rachet-point moment for me. I realised that I did not have to keep driving a car that did not begin to accelerate until 5 seconds after I floored it. (My 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe, by the way.) It made me realise that North American cars did not have to totally suck. They may suck relative to other makes, but they seem better than they were 17 years ago, when I last looked at them.
I would hope so. A $15k car may impress you.
You need to get out of those big truck compensator things and test drive something more refined like a Lexus LS, unless you truly are needful of compensating.
Not entirely accurate.
The compact luxury sedans (like the other sizes) have increasingly gotten bigger and more luxurious.
The new C Class, for example, is 184.5″ in length – which is not far off the 187.2″ of the W124 E Class, and the C Class has a more luxurious interior than the W124 and a lot more tech (the interior of the W212 C Class is the 1st compact sedan to have a truly luxury-grade interior).
And it’s not like BMW, MB, etc. hadn’t been trying to get the lower end buyer previously with the likes of the 318ti hatch and the C230 Kompressor.
Now the CLA is chinzy, noisy and rides like crap – but the A3 drives better than the A4 (being smaller helps) and has just as nice, if not interior for the time being (being newer than the long-in-tooth A4 helps).
I agree with everything you just posted.
I still like the A4 and with it getting close to the end, maybe you can make a deal on one.
yes you can.
A4’s and S4’s can be had at 10% or more under invoice, even if you order it while the books are still open.
Tim called them ancient, which isn’t unfair, but at this point, they’ve gotten all the kinks worked out of the platform, they’ve never been cheaper, and they’ve never been better equipped at base trim levels.
My wife has a 2014 A4. I love driving it when she lets me!
The Acura and Audi positions surprised me.
No surprise, everyone I know that had an Audi, and they were very popular a few years back, is now driving something Japanese. Acura for the most part, but more Infiniti’s and Subaru’s than I was expecting.
I saw a CLA on the road the other day. I’m embarrassed for Mercedes. It really does look like something you’d expect from a Korean manufacturer circa 2006.
“For an extra 6.85$/mo we can install a glowing emblem on your CLA sir.”
The Koreans can only dream of being able to pull that off. Who wants their KIA badge to glow, let alone pay for the privilege?
You’d feel even more embarrassed for the owner if you were inside the car. You paid 40 grand to be this cramped?
Considering that all of these are priced within spitting distance of a Hyundai Genesis and the Genesis is the size of, and is as luxurious and featured loaded as a fully optioned 5 series, the rest are basically selling you their name badges. $8,000 is a lot to pay for a hood emblem.
Wow, if you believe it is as simple as that, the Genesis is the car for you.
Not really. Most people don’t try and buy cars by the lb. I prefer smaller cars so something like the Genesis is just out of the question for me.
I test drove a Genesis 5.0 before buying my 328i. It was a few thousand more, and had a ton more options, but it felt like an old mans car, and I didn’t like the infotainment. The sportier BMW just worked better for me.
I’m going to chalk up your cross shopping a 3 series with a Hyundai as a win for the Koreans. I can remember riding in an Excel not too many years ago and never would have imagined this.
I have owned 2 Elantra’s, my uncle has a new Azera, and my grandmother drives a new Elantra. I know they make good cars, but in the class I was buying, the Genesis didn’t do it for me, which is not to say it wasn’t an excellent car, it was. But it is not for me, and the dealership experience was not up to par yet either, for dropping that kind of cash.
How much it the “dealership experience” worth to you? How often do you set foot in the dealership? If they set up a Lexus-like supply chain for the Genesis where you didn’t have to mingle with the riff-raff and they brought you espresso in a wood paneled waiting room, how much would you pay for that (’cause YOU would be the one paying for it – that real wood paneling ain’t cheap)? $2,000, $5,000, $8,000? Personally I wouldn’t pay 5 cents if I had the choice.
I’ve only visited one impressive Hyundai dealership, and they were co-branded with Cadillac so I;m sure it was the Cadillac influence that made them impressive.
Hyundai just needs to get their dealerships out of the dumps. The Toyota and Subaru dealerships I frequent (selectively) are both excellent – comfortable waiting areas, coffee bar, playroom for the kids….Hyundai could easily do the same.
There are some very nice Hyundai dealerships (usually in large urban areas) and some dumpy ones with the rest somewhere in the middle.
Basically, the large auto retail companies are buying Hyundai dealerships (at least in the more populous areas) and are upgrading facilities.
Some Hyundai dealerships have a separate “lux” lounge for Equus and Genesis owners if that sort if thing is impt. (not that Equus owners ever have to step foot in a dealership).
The idea of Toyota as competition for luxury car makers would have been mind boggling in the ’70s also.
If you never have to sit in the back seat, the 3 series and the rest are great, but if you actually expect a sedan to seat 4 or 5 people (full sized grown humans) comfortably for a long trip, then forget it. To me it’s sorta mind boggling that people will drop $40K+ on something the size of a Corolla and if you have to take your friends somewhere they will be in pain after 1/2 an hr. I take that back – the Corolla is (.1″) longer than a 3 series.
To me, the problem with the Genesis is that it is, if you pardon the expression, like a cheap Korean copy of a real luxury car. Meaning the Koreans wrote down all the things an S-Class, LS, 7-series, etc, came with, and made sure they threw them in. “Okay, V8, check, good stereo, check, anonymous flagship styling, check, RWD, check, iDrive-type controller, check” etc. It’s like driving a spec sheet. Yeah, they got all the ingredients, but the package came out unconvincing, because there was no vision to it, no refining of the concept, no tuning, no concept of what it wanted to be except “features of S-Class, cheaper than Lexus.” Even the styling just says “I want to look vaguely expensive but beyond that I don’t know what to do.” Even the Japanese have a vision, (Infiniti = Japanese BMW, Lexus = Japanese Mercedes, Acura = fancy Accord). The Genesis just looks like one of those generic cars they put in ads for insurance or something when they just want to reference a car and not a specific make.
“if you actually expect a sedan to seat 4 or 5 people (full sized grown humans) comfortably for a long trip, then forget it. To me it’s sorta mind boggling that people will drop $40K+ on something the size of a Corolla and if you have to take your friends somewhere they will be in pain after 1/2 an hr. I take that back – the Corolla is (.1″) longer than a 3 series.”
Most people A) don’t drive 4-5 adults on long trips, and if they do they B) ALSO own an SUV that does that duty. In my house, we have an RDX and a TSX. The TSX has 1 person in it 99% of the time. If we have to drive more than 1-2 people, we take the RDX.
My 3 series comfortably fits me, my wife, and our teenage daughter. I don’t need something huge, in fact I love the size of the 3 series.
As for the dealership experience thing, it had more to do with the salesmen and managers. They were just more professional at the BMW dealership. At Hyundai, it was “what do we need to do to get you to drive home in this car today?”, at BMW is was much more relaxed.
Audi would give me a free loaner often an A4 even for a basic service that was free as well.
The current 3-series is not a particularly small car. I am 6′ 1″ tall and can comfortably sit in the back seat with the front seat adjusted for me. This is not the case in my previous generation 3-series. It is not wide enough to sit 3 of me across, but nothing smaller than an S-class is. If you need to haul 5 people around, you should be shopping minivans not sports sedans.
Ultimately, if my friends don’t like the accommodations, they are free to make alternate transportation arrangements. Or we can just take my Range Rover.
@S2k Kris
On that basis, the 7 Series, A8, upcoming Cadillac CT6/CT8 and Lexus LS460 are a cheaper “copy” of the original – the S Class with the LS460 being a cool $20k cheaper.
Don’t laugh. My last Kia Optima/Sonata rental showed they have the gauges of mercedes, the switches of toyota, the electronics of acura, and the ergos of BMW.
They are one or two levels of NVH tuning away from getting it.
Agreed.
I also agree, though, with badreligion with respect to his impression that SOME Korean models feel like cheap knockoffs of more established marques in terms overall dynamics & refinement (the Equus comes to mind in this regard; it just feels like a fake Mercedes and has an industrial adhesive interior odor of the worst VOC kind).
With that said, I think the 2015 Genesis (but not the prior generation) has the Lexus ES350 (yes, it’s fwd) and Infinity Q at least tied in terms of refinement, build quality and dynamics, and beat in terms of styling and interior materials/finish, while killing them in terms of value.
I also prefer the 2015 Slants to the Camry or Altima.
Hyundai is backsliding in some ways while excelling in other areas.
The 5 Series feels like an “old man’s car” compared to the smaller 3 Series.
@Jack Denver
Having had both the previous gen Genesis and the current gen within the past six months as rentals, my take on them is “looks like a Lexus until a real Lexus rolls up”. A car that will impress a Camry buyer, but not a BMW or Mercedes buyer. You very much get what you pay for.
Neither looks much like a Lexus – so don’t know where that is coming from.
I’m pleased with the CLA-Class, because it has allowed the C-Class to essentially become a sawn-off S-Class, and I think that’s a very good thing. Mercedes-Benz must have realized that a lot of its customers want a small car without having to put up with “sporty” (read: harsh) driving dynamics and spartan accommodations. If Cadillac—which has a similar clientele—had done that with the ATS instead of chasing the Bavarians, the car would be a lot more desirable than it is. Cadillac could have made the ATS into something truly desirable and just released something sleek and Delta-II based as an entry level car…and yeah, that FWD entry-level car would get made fun of by the enthusiasts (just as the CLA-Class does), but it would sell well and the ATS would be a force to be reckoned with…something to consider when Cadillac decides it suddenly wants to charge BMW prices.
Exactly. Most folks prefer a large back seat and lower price to at the limit dynamics and a fancy platform. CLA wows with style as well (taste is in the eye of the beholder)… I still feel strongly that if the ATS were FWD, roomy and striking rather than RWD, cramped and anonymous it would have been a hit. Bonus points if Caddy had cashed in on the swelling PHEV luxury wave with a legitimate mainstream entry.
The MB CLA is probably one of the worst cars – maybe THE worst – on a value adjusted basis, I’ve driven in the last decade.
It’s also an pretty terrible car regardless as to the price.p (i.e. in absolute terms).
Let’s just say I would take a deeply discounted 27k Cadillac ATS 2.0T (given the $14,000 cash piles on the hoods of 41k ATSs.
Sure. And I wouldn’t buy a CLA-Class either. But it sells, and it doesn’t seem to be diminishing the brand’s value like certain doomsday enthusiasts said it would.
So a couple of thoughts:
(1) Automakers should never listen to car enthusiasts. BMW has mainstreamed their line and seen massive sales success.
(2) What is up with Lexus IS sales? I was pretty surprised by that.
I think the IS may be a polarizing design to some. I liked the look of the last generation a lot, but with this generation I can’t decide if I like it or hate it. The interior is sweet, but outside I think alienates people. Or they just move to an ES.
I’m not sure how much the predator grill is really impacting sales. It’s still selling as well as the less controversial and cheaper Q50. They can’t get the 2.0T in the IS 250 soon enough though. That base engine is awful.
The new IS is popping up everywhere in DC lately. I saw 3 Q50s in the same day this week, which was odd. 1 ATS, which is more than I’ve seen over the past month.
The Lexus #’s shocked me too. A 2k gain in sales volume YTD is the biggest of any (bold line) entries on the chart. Only Acura saw a bigger percentage gain. The RC seems to be adding volume with very little canabalizing of IS sales.
I’m glad people have the money to buy those Bimmers. The are very nice. But when I looked at this category, I could barely swing a 3-series. I suppose I could get one of those long-term loans that are so in vogue nowadays, or lease it. But in the end, I bought a Lexus IS instead. Lexus is a povertymobile, relatively speaking, but it’s acceptable. Plus, I kinda hate runflats that BMW uses. I’d need to swap the rubber right after purchase and that costed money too.
No question the BMW is the Big Swinging D in the category, but there oughta be a way to normalize the sales so that it takes into account the various options in terms of body style and price spreads to represent a true capture of the market. So for instance, a car like the A4, which basically has 1-2 powertrain options and 2 body styles, can be apples:apples compared with the 3-series, which has 4 body styles, 4 engines (inc. M3/M4) and 2 drivetrains. Basically a “what percentage of the market do capture that you play in” metric.
I’d try to invent one but I bet the internet beats me to it.
I don’t think it’s a big deal- the presence of a lot of engine options doesn’t mean they are all being used equally. Most 3s/4s are 320/328 sedans, probably evenly split between RWD and AWD with auto transmissions.
Easy way to validate this is to look at used car classifieds of the current gen. You look at the F30, there are ~9200 used ones on Autotrader in the US. Of those, 6700 are sedans, and of those 6100 have 4 bangers. If you cut the 3/4 series sales by 1/3 it would still be comfortably ahead of everything but the new C Class, which is a brilliant, smartly contrarian and high quality offering, and Q40/50 which is a self-cannibalizing mess. And if you cut it only by ~1/10th (the non 4 bangers) it would still be comfortably ahead of everything.
I do think if Benz brings over the wagon and makes the C Class coupe even more beautiful than the sedan they may be able to snatch the 3’s crown. If I want a sporty BMW only real option is the 2. Id rather have a C400 wagon if I had to have something in this class.
Well, what a surprise. The brand new TLX getting roasted by the 2-3 year old Infiniti G line up. Perhaps, now, Honda will finally grow a pair and make a RWD-based car instead of pumping out Super-Saiyan Accords and calling it good enough.
This should have been done 8 years ago. You don’t have to chase M’s and AMG’s and you can always make an AWD option for those who don’t want/can’t handle RWD.
I would love to the February numbers for Genesis vs RLX.
A4/A5 is also washing the Ring tuned ATS. TL/TSX were moving ~100-120K combined against the 40-70K of pretty much every other entrant in the segment but the 3 series in their prime (04-08). RWD doesn’t matter. Acura’s lineup is not moving units because the badge has no panache and the cars don’t look good. I personally couldn’t stomach paying $60K for a BMW equipped like a $45K Acura, but then I couldn’t look at a TLX’ slab sides every day for $45K.
The whole luxury segment is pretty weak on style. Whoever can design something stunning in the segment will win, regardless of price, content, drive wheels, whatever. That is part of why the new C Class is winning… it makes everything else look cheap and derivative without itself being garish/overwrought.
No, a RWD Acura with the same bland looks of the TLX/RLX would do no better than the current cars. Drive wheels don’t matter.
RWD does matter when you go up the size segments (at least for luxury sedans, not so much for crossovers which most people buy in AWD form).
There’s a reason why Audi does not offer the A7 and A8 in FWD form in the States and why the RL/RLX has flopped for Acura.
Even without a lux brand, Hyundai has sold 12x as many Genesis sedans as Acura has done the RLX.
Drive-wheels do matter, but even the Japanese RWDs (GS, Q70) are having a tough time competing against the Germans (mostly MB and BMW).
I keep looking for the Lincoln entry, and I can’t find it. Is it because these are teeny-weeny cars and the smallest Lincoln is the American-size Mickey-Z?
I have to admit, I don’t understand the passion people have for cars with the interior room of a Civic that cost 3-4 times as much. Slightly nicer interiors than a well-equipped midsize, but less room. Still plenty of cheap plastic, and the fit/finish isn’t so much better so as to justify the premium.
And as Sporty points out, buyers don’t really care about what wheels are driven. So it’s not as if people are buying them for their sporting intentions. Probably just the cheapest badge they can get.
One has to be impressed with what MB has been able to do with the C Class.
Even with the higher price for the C Class, it is breathing down the neck of the 3/4 Series.