BMW remains the leading luxury car brand, with sales increasing while rival brands are falling behind.
Whether you consider Tesla a premium or luxury brand or not, we’ve included it here for reference. Its only cars in Australia, the Model 3 and Model Y, are priced around the same as more affordable BMWs like the 1 Series.
However, for the sake of brevity, we have left out ultra-luxury brands like Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
Compared to the full-year results of 2023, brands largely maintained their positions.
Jaguar, however, jumped two places on this chart as nearly its entire petrol-powered lineup saw sales increase… right at the time all of these models were discontinued.
Tesla: 23,116 cars sold
Tesla may still hold the two best-selling electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia by a comfortable margin, but sales in the first half of 2024 were down 9.6% year-on-year.
Model 3 sales fell 8.4 percent despite a significant upgrade earlier this year, while Model Y sales fell 10.6 percent.
BMW: 13,641 sales
BMW is one of the few brands on this list to improve its ranking in the first half of 2023.
The company’s sales rose 9.1 percent, thanks to a significant increase in smaller and more affordable models.
The recently redesigned X1 increased 43.4 percent to 2,255 vehicles, surpassing the X3 to become the brand’s best-selling model.
The segment-leading X2 coupe SUV saw sales rise 217.9 percent to 728 units since its launch, while the 2 Series coupe rose 85.6 percent to 900 units.
Not all small BMW models saw sales increase, however, with 1 Series sales falling 49.4% to 530 cars, ahead of the launch of the next-generation model, while 2 Series Gran Coupe sales fell 40.9% to 364 cars.
Note that BMW separates some electric models from internal combustion engine models (e.g. i7 and 7 Series) and combines others (X1 and iX1).
The electric i4 has climbed the charts to become BMW’s fifth best-selling car, behind only the X1, X3, X5 and 3 Series. Not only that, the i4 has outsold the petrol-powered 4 Series Gran Coupe by about three to one.
Mercedes-Benz: 9,613 cars sold
Even if you include the 2,345 vehicles sold by the Mercedes-Benz Vans division, the three-pointed star brand is still far behind its Bavarian rival.
The company’s sales fell 24.1 percent year-on-year.
Most models saw sales decline in the first half of 2023, with the exception of the GLA (1,011 sales, up 9.8%) and the EQA electric model (624 sales, up 58.8%).
Also on the list were the G-Class (up 86.7 percent), SL (up 142.9 percent) and Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe (up 250 percent). Sales were also down across the board.
Audi: 8,183 cars sold
Audi car sales fell 12.4 percent in the first half of 2023.
The Q3 and A3, two of Audi’s most affordable models, remain best-sellers and have seen sales growth this year.
The A3 has even consolidated its lead over the Volkswagen Golf in the sales race and has become the most popular premium small car.
However, the popular Q5 has dropped 42.3 percent this year as it nears the end of its lifecycle. In contrast, the older Q2 has actually seen a rise in its later years, rising 20.4 percent.
The Q7 is down 58.7 percent, despite an updated version hitting showrooms soon; the A4 is also down significantly, despite coming to the end of its lifecycle.
Lexus: 6,286 cars sold
Lexus had its best ever sales year in Australia in 2023, with sales of 15,192 vehicles, up 114.3 per cent on the previous year and surpassing the previous record of 9,612 in 2019.
Sales declined slightly in 2024, down 9.0 percent from the first half of 2023.
One caveat here: deliveries of the new GX SUV have yet to begin and could boost sales in the second half of the year.
The LBX, the brand’s entry-level SUV, has only recently hit showrooms. Yet it’s already the brand’s third best-selling model.
Of course, the NX still comes out on top. It’s also the second-best-selling model in the premium midsize SUV segment, behind only the Tesla Model Y and beating all German rivals.
| Model | H1 Sales | Change YTD |
|---|---|---|
| NX | 2906 | +5.0% |
| RX | 1030 | -27.1% |
| LBX | 670 | – |
| Vietnamese | 610 | -34.5% |
| User experience | 493 | -56.8% |
| Lx | 256 | -54.4% |
| shut up | 169 | – |
| RZ | 109 | +55.7% |
| LC | 35 | +118.8% |
| LS | 8 | -20.0% |
Volvo: 4741 sales
Volvo car sales fell 24.6% in the first half of 2023 due to falling demand for its popular SUVs.
For example, sales of the XC40 fell 46.9%, losing its title as Australia’s best-selling compact luxury SUV.
Volvo’s new EX30 electric crossover has rocketed up the sales charts, with 1,001 sales this year outpacing a host of other small luxury SUVs. That may explain the drop in demand for the XC40.
Aside from the EX30, which went unsold last year, the only model to improve its position in the first half of 2023 was the niche S60 sedan, up 21.4%.
Land Rover: 4018 vehicles sold
JLR has a “House of Brands” strategy, which includes the Jaguar, Range Rover, Defender and Discovery brands, however all three of the latter are reported under the Land Rover name in VFACTS.
The brand grew 8.2 percent in the first half of 2023, although its best-selling model – the Defender – saw sales fall.
The Range Rover Sport followed closely behind in second place, with just 223 units sold.
In recent years, JLR has prioritized making more expensive and therefore more profitable models, but this year the entry-level Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport have rebounded.
Porsche: 3,400 cars sold
Porsche sales rose a modest 5.2 percent in the first half of 2023, with the biggest gains coming from its two sports cars: the 911, up 85.1 percent; and the Boxster, up 100 percent.
Macan prices drop 9.6 percent as all-electric model arrives.
Porsche currently has just one electric model – the Taycan – down 33.7 percent. A recent report Porsche is considering cutting production of the model as demand for luxury electric cars cools, the automaker said.
Genesis: 710 sales
Genesis car sales fell 18.5 percent in the first half of this year, a disappointing result after sales rose 84.4 percent last year as the brand continued its growth momentum.
The GV70, the company’s best-selling model, fell 12.4 percent, despite a new model due to be launched before the end of the year.
The only model that improved over the first half of last year was the G80 sedan, up 27.3 percent.
Jaguar: 403 cars sold
Jaguar car sales rose 69.3 percent from a low base.
All models except the XE and I-Pace were launched, just in time to be phased out as the brand repositions itself as a more exclusive, more expensive, electric-only brand.
The most dramatic change came from the aging E-Pace, which grew by 535.7 percent.
Alfa Romeo: 371 cars sold
The Tonale brought a more affordable price point to the Alfa Romeo brand and quickly became the brand’s best-selling model.
However, Giulia sales have been strong in the first half of this year, up 62.2 percent.
The Stelvio continues to be one of the least popular models in its segment, with just 76 units sold – down 14.6 percent.
Maserati: 200 cars sold
Maserati car sales fell 37.3 percent compared to the first half of 2023, despite the recent launch of the Grecale.
Despite being the brand’s most affordable new model in a while, Grecale sales have been down sharply – down 28.2 percent year-on-year.
However, it is the brand’s best-selling model and more than doubles the more affordable Alfa Romeo Stelvio with which it shares its platform.
The Quattroporte line appears to have dried up, while the Levante and Ghibli lines have declined.
