- 10. Maserati Levante: 231, up 34 per cent
- 9. Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 296, down 47 per cent
- 8. Land Rover Range Rover: 298, down 62 per cent
- 7. Porsche Taycan: 362, down 19 per cent
- 6. BMW X7: 407, down 22 per cent
- 5. Lincoln Navigator: 618, down 4 per cent
- 4. Land Rover Range Rover Sport: 705, down 57 per cent
- 3. Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 716, up 1,134 per cent
- 2. Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class: 912, down 21 per cent
- 1. Porsche 911: 967, up 30 per cent
In the automotive sphere, luxury — so often the mere suggestion of opulence — has become an altogether far too common part of automaker lingo. But what does it take to be truly luxurious, genuinely premium, and verifiably lavish?
According to AutoTrader’s Price Index for July 2022, the average new vehicle price in Canada is now an eye-watering, you-should-sit-down-for-this, long-term-finance-requiring $55,469. If that’s the average price paid for a new vehicle, can we really suggest that $55,000 even remotely buys bona fide luxury?
No, but even in this age of uncomfortable inflation, a hundred large still portrays true excess.
You can, for example, find a $69,840 copy of the Ford Expedition. (Okay, there’s no way you can actually find a $69,840 Expedition in this market, but technically, that’s the Expedition entry point.) It’s a high-tech, high-feature, high-powered SUV with clear upmarket intentions. Luxury, however, kicks in when the Expedition undergoes the Lincoln treatment and becomes the $108,300 Navigator. Six digits simply set a different tone.
BMW’s X-branded SUV range starts with the $44,990 X1. But in an era of $45,590 entry-level Honda Odysseys, a sub-$50K BMW is, well, let’s face it: the kids would call it basic. The $108,500 BMW X7, on the other hand, operates on another spectrum.
We’re all attempting to recalibrate our understanding of what a grocery bill should look like. We’re trying to acclimate to bewildering energy costs. We’re all attempting to adapt and adjust in a world where banks actually want to charge us for the money they’re lending. For the typical car consumer, even during a period when the average new vehicle price is 18 per cent higher than it was just one year ago, $100,000+ vehicles are still outside the realm of possibility.
And yet the 10 $100K+ vehicles that sell most often in Canada — just the top 10, remember — produced nearly 1,000 combined sales per month during the first-half of 2022, a decidedly challenging period for every sector of the auto industry. Sure, in one sense they’re decidedly uncommon, yet they’re somehow not really all that rare. This is not the domain of only a handful of ultra-elites. Six-digit vehicles — and we’re talking only about vehicles that start above $100,000 — are all around you.
Which ones are the most common? Excluding a pair of Teslas (the Model S and Model X) for which the company doesn’t report model-specific, monthly or quarterly sales figures, we’ve compiled a rather eclectic mix of 2022’s first-half top sellers in the $100,000+ sector of the Canadian automotive landscape.
2022 Maserati Levante Hybrid Photo by Nadine Filion
10. Maserati Levante: 231, up 34 per cent
By virtually any definition, Maserati is a niche-market premium brand. Even Jaguar, down 64 per cent this year, outsells Maserati. Even Genesis, an upstart Hyundai offshoot, outsells Maserati by more than 8-to-1. But in the narrow confines of Maserati’s low-volume model lineup, the Levante carries the bulk of the load. Better than 7 out of every 10 Maseratis sold in Canada in the first-half of 2022 were Levante SUVs.
9. Mercedes-Benz G-Class: 296, down 47 per cent
At $154,900, the legendary, militaristic, celebrity-promoted G-Wagen has the highest base price of any vehicle on this list of six-digit top sellers. Yet at 296 units in 2022’s first six months, the G-Class has suffered in a significant way during the supply chain crisis. At this stage of 2021, Mercedes-Benz Canada had already sold 560 of these boxy SUVs. Over the last three years, the company averaged nearly 100 G-Class sales per month.
8. Land Rover Range Rover: 298, down 62 per cent
Land Rover’s Range Rover has always had a remarkable ability to cross demographic borders in a way few other vehicles could even hope for. Somehow equally posh and rugged, the Range Rover justifies its lofty price point in part due to its farmyard heritage. In the middle of a generational changeover and a global microchip shortage, there’s little wonder that Range Rover sales tanked relative to early 2021. But the Range Rover isn’t Land Rover’s only $100,000+ representative.
The 2022 Porsche Taycan GTS and Taycan Sport Turismo GTS Photo by Porsche
7. Porsche Taycan: 362, down 19 per cent
Imagine telling someone a decade ago that Porsche would soon build a range-topping electric sedan (and wagon, of all things) that would outsell the BMW 7 Series, Maserati Quattroporte, Lexus LS, and Audi A8 combined. It’s certainly not a far-fetched concept now. The Taycan is a statement-making first-step EV for Porsche. Meanwhile, the Taycan’s platform partner from Audi, the $133,950+ E-tron GT, contributed another 210 sales in the first-half of 2022.
6. BMW X7: 407, down 22 per cent
When BMW launched its first SUV (they loved calling them SAVs) more than 22 years ago, the first effort wasn’t perfect. It was too small inside, the ride was too stiff, steering was artificially heavy, and the price was eye-wateringly premium. None of that mattered: the X5 was a hit, and it became even more of a hit as time progressed. BMW added more and more utility vehicles until finally the seventh, the X7, rolled off the line as BMW’s biggest SUV three years ago. BMW Canada sold 1,620 in pre-pandemic 2019 and then another 2,355 over the next two years to go along with 407 sold in the first-half of 2022.
5. Lincoln Navigator: 618, down 4 per cent
Whither the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln’s better-selling Navigator rival? Escalade pricing is positively proletarian, starting in five-digit territory. Lincoln’s Navigator and Navigator L produced 618 sales in 2022’s first-half, nearly on par with 2021 levels. The new Escalade, in regular and ESV guise, cranked out 1,782 units, a 5-per-cent increase. For the record, Jeep’s coach-seating Wagoneer and first-class $100K+ Grand Wagoneer, managed 1,441 sales to start the year.
2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Photo by Land Rover
4. Land Rover Range Rover Sport: 705, down 57 per cent
Not to be confused with the even more costly Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport has now moved upmarket with a $101,750 entry point enabled by more Land Rover offerings closer to the mid-point of the market. (The Range Rover Velar and Defender start off below $70,000.) Although well off last year’s pace, the Range Rover Sport remains Land Rover’s best-selling model in Canada and outsells the entire Jaguar lineup by a 63-per-cent margin.
3. Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 716, up 1,134 per cent
Ask the 2002 version of yourself what a prototypical, everyday, commonplace six-digit car looked like and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class may well have been the car that sprung to mind. (In 2002, Canada’s S-Class started just below $100,000.) Cars, not SUVs, were the predominant source of premium dollars. In fact, the one six-digit Mercedes-Benz SUV that currently outsells the S-Class didn’t even exist until 2006.
2. Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class: 912, down 21 per cent
Volkswagen’s electric crossover, the ID.4, didn’t produce 900 sales in 2022’s first-half. Neither did the Subaru WRX, Buick Enclave, Nissan Versa, Chevrolet Camaro, or Nissan Leaf. For that matter, Mercedes-Benz’s two entry-level utility vehicles — the GLA and GLB — produced only 797 and 573 sales, respectively, between January and June. In other words, the GLS isn’t just popular when compared with extremely high-end vehicles, it plays an integral component in Mercedes-Benz’s success.
2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S (992) Photo by Elliot Alder
1. Porsche 911: 967, up 30 per cent
Pay much attention to the global auto industry in 2022 and you’ll hear words such as headwinds, pressure, and constraints — Porsche is on track to sell more 911s in Canada this year than ever before. The previous record, 1,414 units in 2019, may well be smashed in 2022 if — and it is a big if — Porsche can simply build enough copies of its longest-running model to satisfy seemingly insatiable demand.
Keyword: Driving By Numbers: Canada's 10 best-selling $100,000+ vehicles in 2022's first half