New models from Volvo, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are boosting sales in Europe's premium midsize SUV sector to the point that it has overtaken the equivalent premium car segment.
Last year for the first time models such as the Volvo XC60, Audi Q5 and BMW X3 were more popular in Europe than sedan and wagon versions of the Mercedes E class and BMW 5 series.
First-half sales of the premium midsize SUV segment rose by 23 percent to 242,682, led by the XC60, according to figures from market analysts JATO Dynamics.
Mercedes finished just behind the XC60 with combined sales of 51,653 units of the GLC and GLC Coupe. By comparison, sedan and wagon sales of comparable premium models rose 13 percent to 219,404 units.