Download - MOBILE: Luxury Sedans Pick Up Speed · MOBILE: Luxury Sedans Pick Up Speed 79% The percentage of mobile luxury sedan growth attributed to the top five growth brands (the three German

AutoTrader.com Site Behavior – Jan-Jun 2015 vs. Jan-Jun 2014

July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Luxury Entry-Level Cars Lead the Way, Germans Top Brand Growth

Luxury Car Segment Share of Category Growth

MOBILE: Luxury Sedans Pick Up Speed

79% The percentage of mobile luxury sedan growth attributed to the top five growth

brands (the three German luxury leaders along with Lexus and Acura)

Brand Growth: Luxury Sedans

Luxury Entry-Level Car

Luxury Fullsize Car

Luxury Midsize Car

Top 5 Luxury Car Brands January-June Rank

2015 2014

Mercedes-Benz 1 2 BMW 2 1 Audi 3 3 Lexus 4 5 Cadillac 5 4

While all top five luxury sedan brands have experienced lifts in sedan shopping activity on mobile, it’s gains by Mercedes-Benz and Lexus that have (respectively) ousted BMW from its leadership position and caused the sole domestic (Cadillac) to slip in rank.

Mercedes-Benz & Lexus Advance

Entry-Level cars account for more than half of the overall mobile luxury sedan shopping growth

Increase in luxury car mobile shopping activity

Jan-Jun 2015 vs. Jan-Jun 2014

+ 44 %

55% 25% 21%

BMW 2 Series

Audi S3*

BMW 3 Series

Lexus RC 350*

MB CLA-Class

MB C-Class

Audi A3

Lexus IS Models

BMW 4 Series

Infiniti Q50

1 Biggest movers are vehicles with the largest increase in the number of Primary New Vehicle Prospects Jan-Jun 2015 vs. Jan-Jun 2014

AutoTrader.com Site Behavior - Primary New Vehicle Prospects [visitors interacting with three most recent model years]

July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Where Luxury Entry-Level Cars Are Heating Up

Northeast

South

+42% West

Regional Mobile Growth: Luxury Entry-Level Cars

The majority of states have experienced at least a 44% increase in mobile luxury entry-level shopping activity compared to the same period last year. While Germans BMW and Mercedes-Benz still lead the segment nationally (with the 3 Series and

C-Class, respectively), Japanese rivals Q50 and IS Models achieve two of the top three biggest mover positions.

Models to Watch

Despite Germans making up 70%

of the movers, Japanese models

Q50 (which ranks #6 in the

segment) and IS (#3) exceed the

growth of nearly all other models.

Also notable is that 4 Series growth

has catapulted the model to a top 5

spot (up from #9 in the segment last

year), further strengthening BMW.

Midwest

+45%

+48%

+48%

Biggest Movers (national) Top 10 1

*New entries, fall 2014

55%+

44%-54%

<44%



July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Luxury Entry-Level Cars: Biggest Movers Top 10 1

(By Region)

Though they vary in order, the entry-level models achieving the largest increases in shopping activity are the same in all five regions (4 Series, A3, C-Class, IS Models, and Q50) with only one exception (CLA-Class exceeds the growth of IS Models in the Midwest). Rivals (including national leader 3 Series, which doesn’t make the top five mover cut) should note these cross-country

gains, particularly considering that Japanese brands (versus German segment leaders) top the list in three of the four regions, and three of these five (4 Series, A3, and Q50) have advanced overall at least five segment rank positions compared to last year.

MIDWEST NORTHEAST

A3

Q50

IS Models

C-Class

4 Series

CLA-Class

2 Series

3 Series

RC 350

S3

SOUTH WEST

A3

4 Series

CLA-Class

IS Models

Q50

3 Series

C-Class

RC 350

2 Series

S3

4 Series

IS Models

A3

C-Class

Q50

CLA-Class

RC 350

3 Series

Q60

S3

4 Series

A3

Q50

C-Class

IS Models

RC 350

CLA-Class

S3

3 Series

2 Series



July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Where Luxury Midsize Cars Are Heating Up

Cadillac ELR

Volvo S60

Audi A5

Cadillac CTS

MB CLS-Class

BMW 5 Series

BMW 6 Series

Audi A6

MB E-Class

Acura TLX

+23% Northeast

Midwest

+24% West

Regional Mobile Growth: Luxury Midsize Cars

Luxury midsize sedan mobile shopping is up from a year ago across the country, with a slightly higher uptick in the Midwest. The segment’s newest entry, TLX, is a game-changer, having leapfrogged five rank positions nationally since it

came on the scene less than a year ago (the model is currently ranked just outside the top 5 at #6).

+29%

Models to Watch

TLX and E-Class by far surpass all other

movers in mobile shopping activity growth,

the former rising in the ranks since entry,

and the latter making a recent rank move

as well — though CTS is the year-to-date

segment leader, E-Class has overtaken the

top spot for the past two months.


+26% South

35%+

24%-34%

<24%



July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Out of the gate, newest entry Acura TLX is taking the country by storm, while established player E-Class demonstrates more than double the shopping activity growth of the next competitor in the South and Northeast (and substantially

outpaces the growth of other established players in the Midwest and West). Also noteworthy is that CTS trails the growth of fellow national segment top five models across all regions (with the exception of the 5 and 6 Series’ in the Midwest), an

indication of vulnerability for this longstanding top player.

MIDWEST SOUTH

WEST NORTHEAST

Luxury Midsize Cars: Biggest Movers Top 10 1

(By Region)

E-Class

A6

CTS

6 Series

TLX

CLS-Class

5 Series

A5

S60

ELR

E-Class

A6

6 Series

CLS-Class

TLX

5 Series

CTS

A5

S60

ELR

E-Class

A6

6 Series

5 Series

TLX

CLS-Class

S60

A5

CTS

Q70/M Models

E-Class

5 Series

6 Series

A6

TLX

CLS-Class

A5

S60

CTS

ELR



July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

+47% South

Northeast

+46% West

Regional Mobile Growth: Luxury Fullsize Cars

Where Luxury Fullsize Car Are Heating Up

The luxury fullsize car segment powers ahead as mobile shopping activity increases by at least 40% in a majority of states. The fairly consistent growth across regions is fueled primarily by the established segment top five players, including substantial gains by

current national segment leader S-Class.

+49%


+46% Midwest

Hyundai Equus

Jaguar XJ

Acura RLX

BMW 7 Series

Kia K900

Audi A8

Porsche Panamera

Audi A7

Maserati Ghibli

MB S-Class

Models to Watch

S-Class and Ghibli significantly outpace the

growth of other fullsize contenders, S-Class

strengthening its longstanding lead, and Ghibli

jumping from #7 in the segment in the first half

of last year to #2 currently. Meanwhile, steady

growth for the A7 has reinforced Audi’s overall

position, with the model advancing to join the

A8 in the segment top five for the past three

months.

50%+

40%-49%

<40%



July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Luxury Fullsize Car: Biggest Movers

With the exception of two top five growth placements for the K900 (Midwest and West), the same group of established models claims the strongest gains across all four regions (A7, A8, Ghibli, Panamera, and S-Class), which has stimulated a shift in the national segment top five (7 Series and XTS have both dropped out of the mobile top five this year). While newest segment entry K900 demonstrates more regional growth than several European rivals and nearly all other Asian models, the model

remains a trail pack contender across all regions.

SOUTH NORTHEAST

MIDWEST WEST

Top 10 1

(By Region)

Ghibli

Panamera

A7

A8

S-Class

RLX

K900

7 Series

LS Models

S80

Ghibli

A7

Panamera

A8

S-Class

K900

RLX

XJ

Equus

S80

Ghibli

A7

A8

K900

S-Class

Panamera

RLX

XJ

XTS

Ghibli

K900

A8

Panamera

S-Class

A7

RLX

XJ

XTS

S80

LS Models

July 2015

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Industry Spotlight Summary

Luxury sedans experience a 44% gain in

mobile shopping activity year-over-year

55% of the overall segment growth is

attributed to luxury entry-level cars

The top five growth brands (Mercedes-Benz, BMW,

Audi, Lexus, and Acura) account for 79% of the

mobile luxury sedan shopping activity gains

The Bottom Line Luxury sedans are staking their claim in the rise in mobile shopping activity, with the category up double digits. The three German luxury giants have benefited most (notably, Mercedes-Benz has overtaken BMW for the mobile luxury sedan leadership position), but they are also open to risk as rivals flex their mobile muscles. For instance, Acura’s TLX has quickly risen in the midsize ranks and Infiniti’s entry-level Q50 is the #2 growth model across all luxury sedan segments. All luxury OEMs are vulnerable to shifts in attention on mobile — even among lead pack contenders, models and ranks have shifted across all three segments. Given that nearly half of all luxury sedan interactions now occur on mobile, pre-empting or reacting to those shifts is critical, as they can have an immediate and significant impact on overall brand strength.

While the German brands still lead the category

overall, three of the top ten biggest mover

sedans are Japanese models (Infiniti Q50, Lexus IS Models, and Acura TLX)

The top growth segment (entry-level) shows the

most diversity among the biggest movers regionally,

with Audi, BMW, Infiniti, and Lexus represented

among the top two movers across regions.