LexFather

Lexus is trying to sell 2010 inventory before 2011s hit dealer lots. There are no 2011 models yet. Sales will rise when the new 2011 models hit dealerships as customer demand has increased due to higher gas prices. Still thought it won't come close to original targets.

I hope to have more sales data later tonight or tomorrow.

GS69

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...01/521263.html
(click for chart)

RVINE, CA--March 1, 2011: Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced the brand's best ever February sales of 32,806 units, besting the previous February record of 24,052 set in 2010 by 36.4%. Year-to-date sales are up 31.2% and the 2011 Sorento was KMA's best-selling vehicle for the 14th straight month. The February sales record marks KMA's 6th consecutive month of record sales.

"With back-to-back monthly sales records in 2011 we are well ahead of last year's record first quarter sales pace thanks to head-turning vehicles such as the all-new Optima and tremendously popular Sorento that have raised consumer awareness and perception of the Kia brand," said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of KMA and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). "Following closely on the heels of the introduction of our first turbocharged model in the U.S., the 2011 Optima Turbo, we are preparing to launch a turbocharged version of the Sportage compact CUV that will bring a new level of performance and driving excitement to this already popular CUV."

GS69

Mitsubishi (click for chart)

CYPRESS, Calif., March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today reported February 2011 sales of 6,893 vehicles, which represents a marked sales expansion of more than 72% in comparison to the 4,019 total vehicle sales reported from the same month in 2010.

“With Outlander Sport sales increasing each month since it was launched last October, this demonstrates that our American customers appreciate a value-priced/well-equipped vehicle that is stylish, versatile while also delivering impressive fuel economy and electronic All-Wheel-Control,” said MMNA President & CEO Shin Kurihara. “Thus far, the Outlander Sport sales mix has been over 50% well-equipped All-Wheel-Control models which exceeds our expectations for this equipment level. With the addition of increased sales from other models in our lineup, the February sales are an indication of the excellent work performed by all of our employees and our dealer partners.”

The new 5-passenger Outlander Sport was named “Best Compact Crossover for the Money” for 2011 by the prestigious U.S. News & World Report based on such important criteria as overall value, appeal within its vehicle class and five-year total cost of ownership data provided by TrueCar.

Mitsubishi also announced that the popular Outlander Sport CUV will begin production at the company’s world-class manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois by the middle of 2012.

Other February sales highlights include:

* Highest monthly sales since October of 2008
* Outlander Sport sales of 1,290 units
* Lancer Evolution sales up 17.9% from February 2010

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

FEBRUARY:

BMW: 16,416 Month / 32,321 YTD

Mercedes: 15,464 / 31,862

Cadillac: 15,768 / 28,348

Lexus: 13,814 / 26,674



Acura: 10,796 / 18,757

Infiniti: 9,144 / 16,549

Audi: 7,753 / 15,565



Not to state the obvious, but Cadillac is now outselling Lexus and BMW/Merc are ahead by a healthy margin.

GS69

VW: Click for Chart

HERNDON, VA--March 1, 2011: Volkswagen of America, Inc. today reported 21,461 units sold in February 2011, an 18.5% increase over prior year sales. The company has sold 39,862 vehicles in the 1st 2 months of the year, a 10.3% increase over 2010.

"We are excited to see such a strong performance from the all-new Jetta, particularly in the TDI Clean Diesel," said Mark Barnes, Chief Operating Officer, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "As gas prices increase, Volkswagen is providing our customers with a range of high mileage vehicles powered by TDI Clean Diesel technology, including the upcoming all-new Passat, which is expected to deliver 43 miles per gallon on the highway."

TDI Clean Diesel models represented 19.6% of overall sales for the brand. More than 57% of Golf vehicles sold in February were TDI models; a record high diesel mix for the Golf.

The sporty CC enjoyed a dramatic 68.4% sales increase. Tiguan sales increased 28.5%.

LB23

So I guess this was the sales data that 1sicklex told they collected each month.

Good work guys.

GS69

Suzuki Sales Rise 19%

BREA, Calif. (AP) -- American Suzuki Motor Corp. said Tuesday that its U.S. auto sales rose 19% in February versus a year ago, led by sales of the SX4 crossover vehicle and a big jump in sales of the Equator pickup truck and Kizashi sedan.

BY THE NUMBERS: Suzuki sold 1,643 vehicles in February, up from 1,375 in the same month a year ago.

TOP SELLERS: Suzuki sold 788 SX4 crossover vehicles, up 4%. This was the auto maker's most popular model during the month. Sales of the Kizashi jumped 60% to 351 vehicles and sales of the Equator doubled to 127 units.

GS69

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Porsch....html?x=0&.v=1
(click for chart)

ATLANTA, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), importer and distributor of Porsche sports cars, Cayenne SUVs and the Panamera Gran Turismo line-up in the United States, today announced February sales in the U.S. of 2,019 units compared to the same period last year when it sold 1,531, an increase of 32%.

February's results represented the German sports car maker's best February sales total in the U.S. since 2006. It also marked the 9th consecutive month that Porsche has recorded double digit monthly sales increases over the previous year. So far in 2011, the company's sales are 4,419, compared to the same period last year when they were 3,317, an increase of 33%.

Once again, Porsche's new-generation 2011 Cayenne was the brand's top-selling model with February sales of 936 versus last year when they were 599, an increase of 56%. Also worth noting in February was the performance of Porsche's 4-door Panamera Gran Turismo with sales of 442 for the month, compared to 409 the year prior, an uptick of 8%.

Sales of Porsche' renowned sports cars also enjoyed relative success in February. The company's mid-engine sports cars, the Boxster and the Cayman, recorded sales of 144 and 92, respectively. Compared to February 2010, Boxster sales were up 29% while the Cayman enjoyed an increase of 28%. Sales of the German automaker's iconic 911 sports were 405 compared to 339 in 2010, a rise of 19%.

For the month, Porsche's Approved Certified Pre-Owned vehicle sales were 640, compared to 517 last year.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Huge props to Ford and the Fusion. Over 23,000 moved for the month of Feb. Still behind the Camry, but ahead of the Accord hahaha

G Star

iTrader: (2)

Can't wait to see CT200h sales. Seems like Lexus' timing is impeccable, CT200h commercials are hitting televisions as gas prices are shooting sky high.

GS69

BMW Leads US Luxury Sales in February as Cadillac Tops Lexus & Mercedes

General Motors Co.’s Cadillac sold more cars and SUVs in the U.S. than Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz in February when it was surpassed only by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s namesake brand.

Cadillac’s U.S. sales rose 70% from a year ago to 15,768, as it topped Lexus and Mercedes for the 1st time since June 2005. BMW reported an 8.7% increase last month to 16,416, overtaking Mercedes-Benz as the top-selling luxury line in the U.S. Mercedes sales rose 4% to 15,464, while Lexus, last year’s luxury leader, rose 0.2% to 13,814.

Cadillac’s CTS and DTS models each more than doubled their sales in February as GM offered larger discounts. Lexus fell to 4th place for the month after holding off the German automakers to keep the top spot for the 11th consecutive year. Through 2 months, BMW leads Mercedes 32,321 to 31,862.

“We decided to come out a little more aggressive at the beginning of the year” with discount offers, Kurt McNeil, vice president of Cadillac sales, said yesterday in an interview. “But we’re not up 70% just based on incentive spending.”

Cadillac’s incentive spending rose 43% from last February to average $4,878 per vehicle, according to TrueCar.com, a Santa Monica, California-based website that tracks industry incentives. Cadillac’s incentives were the highest of any luxury brand and above the average of $3,500 per car spent by all luxury lines in the U.S., TrueCar estimated.

BMW’s incentives fell 23% from last year, to $3,674 per car, while Mercedes discounts rose 4.4% to $3,289 per vehicle, TrueCar said. Toyota spent an average of $2,295 per vehicle on Lexus incentives, up 39%, TrueCar said.

Incentives Helped

“GM offered aggressive incentives to employees and friends in February,” said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst with TrueCar. “That helped GM overall and clearly helped Cadillac.”

Cadillac ranked 4th in U.S. luxury sales last year and hasn’t led in annual luxury sales since 1997, according to Detroit-based GM.

“We certainly feel good about coming in at No. 2,” McNeil said. “But it will be very competitive and it remains to be seen if we can hold on to No. 2.”

Cadillac said it sold about 10% of its models to fleet buyers in February, down from about 15% traditionally. The DTS sedan, which GM is phasing out this year, gained limousine fleet sales from Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln Town Car, which is also being discontinued this year, McNeil said.

Ford sold 5,948 Lincoln cars and trucks in February, an 11% decrease from a year earlier, according to a statement from the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker.

BMW Models

BMW rose to the top on the strength of new models such as the X3 sport-utility vehicle and its 3-Series line of cars, Toprak said.

“BMW has better product at the moment,” Toprak said. “They have a newer product lineup that brings people into the showroom without need for much incentives.”

The results exclude Daimler’s Sprinter vans and Smart cars and BMW’s Mini brand, which aren’t luxury vehicles.

BMW’s sales would have been stronger if the German automaker could build more all-wheel-drive versions of its 3-Series sedan and X3 models, said Jim O’Donnell, president and chief executive officer of BMW of North America.

“I’m disappointed with February’s result,” O’Donnell said yesterday in an interview. “Our 3-Series performance was off by at least 2,000 cars because of the lack of all-wheel-drive models. We should have been up at 18,000” sales for the month.

Bad Weather

Mercedes sales were hurt by snow storms in the Northeast and Midwest, said Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA.

“This wasn’t an easy month,” Lieb said yesterday in an interview. “We were definitely impacted by the weather conditions.”

Mercedes sales will pick up later this year as new models such as the C-class coupe, SLK and CLS arrive in showrooms, Lieb said.

While Cadillac moved into the top tier in luxury sales, Lieb said he doesn’t view the GM division as a key competitor.

“We are focusing mainly on 2 competitors, BMW and Lexus,” Lieb said. “That’s where our customers are cross shopping, not at Cadillac.”

O’Donnell said Cadillac’s edgy styling and its popular SRX SUV has helped the brand emerge as a legitimate competitor to BMW.

“There’s a new generation of people buying Cadillacs,” O’Donnell said. “They used to say that people wouldn’t buy their father’s Cadillac. Well, now it’s the grandchildren that are buying them.”

Other Brands

U.S. deliveries of Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand rose 25% to 7,753 vehicles, its highest sales ever for February.

Porsche SE, the Stuttgart-based automaker merging with Volkswagen, said sales rose 32% to 2,019 last month, its best February since 2006.

February Sales for Nissan Motor Co.’s Infiniti rose 30% to 9,144 vehicles, the company said.

Honda Motor Co., based in Tokyo, said sales for its Acura brand rose 21% to 10,796, last month.

Tata Motors Ltd., based in Mumbai, said its Land Rover line rose 26% to 2,555 models last month. U.S. sales for its Jaguar brand fell 9% to 692 cars in February.

To contact the reporter on this story: Keith Naughton in Southfield, Michigan, at Knaughton3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jamie Butters at jbutters@bloomberg.net

RXSF

Lexus needs help...
The article above makes a good point, as Mercedes will roll out three new vehicles this year. Lexus will only roll out 1, and its a niche vehicle at that.

LOL

08IS350

Lexus definitely needs help. Lexus sold less IS(sedan+conve) than ugly TL and TSX. They have stretched out the cycle too much for GS and IS.

dunnojack

yeah. i don't think japanese car makers should follow 7 year cycles.
6 years tops.
they can even use the same chassis. just change the sheet metal.

The germans already outsell the japanese, so they need every fresh product they can get.

all of the lexus products are stale now, including models intro'd after 2009, except RX.

when the 3GS first came out, it sold ~3000 a month.

GS69

Buick Sales Soar Past Lexus

An air of hyperbole seems to float in the mainstream media about the success of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. They cite things like earnings reports, repaying debt, you name it. But they don’t usually tackle the concrete sales of cars.

When you look at the numbers, 1 success story clearly stands above all: Buick outsold Lexus in February, for the 2nd month in a row. Buick also outsold Mercedes-Benz (if you discount sales of the Sprinter work van), along with Audi and Acura. Only BMW outsold Buick on the strength of BMW’s new X3 SUV. The storied German brand topped Buick by 800 units.

The story, though, is Buick. With just 4 vehicles in showrooms — the Enclave crossover and the LaCrosse, Lucerne and Regal sedans — it has outsold the nearly unbeatable Lexus.

Back in GM’s heyday of the mid-20th century, Buick was the understated luxury make to flashy Cadillac. The brand quickly gained a reputation as “the doctor’s car” or a vehicle for white-collar professionals. It was a niche that Lexus swooped in and took from Buick more than 2 decades ago.

With a fresh lineup, Buick seems to be reclaiming the mid-luxury market. For the month, Buick sold 15,807 vehicles (up 73.3% from February 2010), compared with 13,814 vehicles at Lexus (up 0.2%). Buick also outsold Lexus in January, and so far it has a greater year-to-date total (29,076 vehicles) compared with Lexus (26,674).

This is significant for several reasons. In 2010, Lexus was the most popular luxury brand. With 229,329 vehicles sold, Lexus outsold Buick by more than 70,000 vehicles that year. Furthermore, Lexus has been the most popular luxury brand in America since 2000, though it barely beat BMW and Mercedes as the luxury make started to lose steam in mid-2010 after a stream of recalls damaged both its credibility and Toyota’s.

Even though Buick was the underdog in 2010, it has seen sales gains for 17 straight months, and it was the fastest-growing brand of 2010.

Why the shift? We could easily point to the recalls, but Toyota’s sales were strong in February, up 48% from the same month in 2010, at the height of the recalls. Lexus’ gain? Just 0.2% year over year. Lexus spokesman Bill Kwong also cited supply issues. “We thought the market was going to be soft in January and February. The market exceeded our expectation. We did not have enough inventory,” he said.

Lexus had about a 15-day supply of vehicles on its lots in February, compared with a 77-day supply of Buicks. Many industry experts quote a 50- to 60-day supply as being healthy. This means that many potential Lexus customers either couldn’t find the trim or color they wanted, and with such short supplies, perhaps even the whole nameplate was missing. While that may be a reason for the sales issues, it certainly keeps the finger of blame pointed at Lexus for not planning properly.

Lexus, it seems, sorely needs some new sheet metal in terms of not just models on lots, but new models. Luxury makes — such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes — have turned over their lineups at a faster pace compared with Lexus. In February, Lexus moved 2,598 of its once-best-selling ES sedan; it was the brand’s 2nd-highest seller that month. The Buick LaCrosse — which was benchmarked against the Lexus ES during its development — is now selling at a pace nearly twice that of its would-be rival, moving 4,329 vehicles in February.

Lexus’ small hybrid, the HS 250h, saw its sales sink an astonishing 74.3% in February, to 183 units. There has been no appetite for that luxury hybrid, and we wonder why the company greenlighted another hybrid, the CT 200h. The CT 200h officially went on sale Tuesday, and Lexus plans to sell about a 1,000 a month.

The RX crossover has always been the backbone of Lexus, making up about 40% of all Lexus sales in 2010. With 15.3% growth in February, the RX grew faster than all other Lexus models.

What makes the role reversal between Lexus and Buick even more astounding is that Lexus has 9 models — though one is the LFA supercar — and Buick has only 4.

Nearly half of the shoppers who bought a Buick Regal in February came from other brands. Increased availability of the Regal CXL Turbo helped the brand move 3,705 of the sedans that month, GM says. Buick expects to see the Regal’s sales rise even more in 2011, as the Regal GS and Regal Hybrid go on sale early this fall. There will also be, presumably, more affordable Regal options as production moves from Germany to Canada for the 2012 model year later this spring. The LaCrosse will get a standard mild-hybrid system, capable of 37 mpg on the highway, on the base trim, which goes on sale this summer.

Along with the boost in sales, buyers are spending more to get their Buicks. The average transaction price has increased by $11,113 since 2003, according to Buick spokesman Nick Richards.

This solidifies the belief that Buick has switched from affordable comfort to something more premium, like Lexus. With the smaller, less expensive Buick Verano going on sale at the end of this year — and the brand reportedly considering adding a convertible, coupe, station wagon and a compact crossover to the lineup — it could be difficult for Lexus to retake its No. 1 spot from Buick, let alone from Mercedes-Benz or BMW.