BMW Tops U.S. Luxury Sales Through Q3 2026, Lexus Trails

BMW led the U.S. luxury market in Q3 2026 with 100,210 deliveries, bringing its year-to-date total to 287,154 vehicles and extending its advantage over Lexus to 24,386 units.

BMW's sales mix and growth drivers

BMW reported a 3.4 percent year-on-year increase in U.S. deliveries for the quarter. The brand's strength stemmed largely from utility-oriented models: BMW said "light trucks" - defined in its sales release as internal-combustion SUVs from the X3 upward plus the zero-emission iX - rose 8.4 percent through September to 159,845 units, while passenger car sales contracted 0.4 percent over the same period. BMW also noted a substantial rise in plug-in hybrid sales in both the quarter and year-to-date figures.

The company expects passenger car volumes to improve as the redesigned 3 Series and the full-electric i3 begin arriving at U.S. dealers.

Rivals' quarterly results and year-to-date performance

• Lexus: 93,056 deliveries in Q3 2026 (+1.6% year-on-year)
• Mercedes-Benz: 76,200 deliveries in Q3 2026 (+4.0% year-on-year)
• Audi: 39,751 deliveries in Q3 2026 (-15% year-on-year)
• Cadillac: 32,560 deliveries in Q3 2026 (-30% year-on-year)
• Lincoln: 19,488 deliveries in Q3 2026 (-18% year-on-year)

Mercedes-Benz reported a modest quarterly increase driven by stronger E-Class and S-Class volumes and gains for the GLA, GLC and GLE. Mercedes-Benz USA separately reported 9,600 van sales for the period; the manufacturer’s passenger-vehicle nine-month tally was down 1 percent through September.

Audi’s third-quarter deliveries fell 15 percent to 39,751, leaving its nine-month total at 107,667 vehicles, down 16 percent year-to-date. Audi cited pockets of momentum for the A5, Q3, Q5 and Q8 models amid the overall decline.

General Motors’ Cadillac brand delivered 32,560 vehicles in the quarter, a 30 percent decline from 46,525 a year earlier, and its nine-month total fell 25 percent to 99,483 units. Lincoln reported 19,488 deliveries in the quarter and 69,487 through September, down 11.8 percent year-to-date.