(Cj)

^lol

I'm still surprised that Acura still outsells Infinti. Acuras are ugly underpowered and overpriced yet the brand still consistently outsells Infiniti.

It's funny because there was a point last year where Infiniti was actually outselling Acura (albeit only for a few months), but now look. Acura is outselling Infiniti again by 2-3K units a months

RXSF

A lot of people by the TSX, MDX and RDX. those are the only cars that are supporting Acura. On the Infiniti side, people really only like the EX and G

joe80

both TL and TSX are underachievers thanks to horrible styling. TL sells slightly more than TSX.

TRDFantasy

The only reason really that Acura is outselling Infiniti is the MDX. If the Infiniti FX was a big seller, Infiniti would be outselling Acura.

It is an interesting point how both brands are struggling though .

Another point is some outlets are reporting that the Accord was the top-selling sedan for April. That's not exactly true since Honda counts the Accord coupe and crossatrocity as part of Accord sales.

If we were to merely combine Venza sales with Camry sales, it would beat Accord sedan/coupe/crossmonster sales.

So in reality, the Camry was the top selling sedan in April.

Exactly. It's a pretty refreshing and strong ad campaign going on.

Also something to consider is the new Avalon's base price has increased quite a bit compared to the previous generation. Yes the 2011 Avalon comes with more standard features and is better equipped, but base prices do influence people's purchase decisions.

The 2010 Avalon had a base MSRP of roughly 28K. The 2011 Avalon has a base MSRP a bit over 32K. The base MSRP has crossed the important 30K barrier.

For those comparing sales of different full-size sedans, prices must be taken into consideration.

If we exclude fleet sales from the discussion, yes the Taurus is selling great, but it has a base MSRP of only 25K. Also the LaCrosse too is selling great, but again with a base MSRP of 26K.

Price-wise, the Avalon is competing now almost directly against the V6 Genesis sedan.

All things considered, the new Avalon is doing quite well sales-wise. Even more interestingly, the new Avalon seemingly is not affecting ES sales. That means the new Avalon must be getting some conquest buyers from other brands, or the full-size sedan market is expanding.

LexFather

I have seen a lot of those Avalon ads as of late but I've also seen tons of the Ford Taurus SHO ads, Acura ads (where they are scared to show their own front ends ) and Infiniti M37/56 ads.

Those Avalon ads are clearly aimed for older people.

-J-P-L-

Is something up with the A8 that I'm unaware of? 81 sales don't even justify existence.

The Acura ZDX sold almost 3 times as much as the Audi A8!!! And less than 1/19th of the class leader. And this being a gorgeous car.

-J-P-L-

Then NYC is the only place they're not selling. I see 25-30 of the new restyled Fusions everyday, easily. I see at least 5-10 new Taurus's everyday.

Ford ain't screwing with the numbers.

RNM GS3

Def a regional thing.......Im in Brooklyn, you would think the only car avail is the new Maxima. I see at least 100+ per day it seems. There is 3 at the parking lot in my job alone.

I have seen maybe 1 Taurus and very few Fusions. No love for Ford at all.

The Panamera is everywhere....saw about 5 + in BK and a few more in the city. This car looks and sounds amazing. I was really surprised, looks like nothing else on the road.

The new M37/56 = RIP. The new 5 is not even out and it cant break 2k?

TRDFantasy

Some more observations...

Overall industry sales were up 20% compared to April 2009. Out of the major automakers, everyone gained a little bit of market share except GM and Honda. GM lost a huge amount of market share compared to April 2009. Even when you exclude GM's dying brands and only look at GM's core brands, they still lost market share. Honda also lost market share in April just like they did in March.

To make matters worse for GM, 32% of their sales total was comprised of fleet sales. Not good for GM at all.

Chrysler, while it gained a bit of market share for the month, is estimated to have had 40% or more of it's total sales comprised of fleet sales.

LexFather

Dude, the A8 is like 7-8 years old and it costs twice as much. The ZDX is new and much less expensive and simply is no where near its timid sales goal.

jruhi4

This article from WardsAuto.com elaborates on this subject, plus other Toyota and Lexus April sales:

Lexus HS Underperforming Sales Target; Toyota Sees 24.4% Uptick in April
By Christie Schweinsberg

U.S. sales of the Lexus HS 250h, the first dedicated hybrid-electric vehicle from Toyota Motor Corp.’s luxury division, are running below target with 1,076 deliveries in April, according to Ward’s data.

Lexus had hoped to sell 20,000-22,000 units annually in the U.S. but is on pace to deliver fewer than 14,000, having sold just 4,529 copies through April.

Since the HS went on sale in August, Lexus has sold 11,228.

Lexus tinkered with the volume target a couple of times before the car’s launch. The brand once called for annual HS 250h sales in the 25,000-30,000 range.

Readjustment was blamed on the car’s popularity in Japan.

“Right now, there’s so much demand for that product in Japan…maybe 20,000-22,000 might be more realistic,” Mark Templin, Lexus Div. group vice president and general manager-Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., told Ward’s in November.

Templin, speaking on today’s Toyota media sales conference call, defends the HS 250h’s low volume.

“I think we underestimated the power of the Prius brand,” he says, referring to the Toyota brand’s purpose-built hybrid. “And we overestimated what the market would look like based on gas prices. But if we can do over 1,000 units a month, 1,000-1,500 units a month, we feel really good about what we’re doing in the marketplace.”

That’s because HS volume is incremental for Lexus, Templin claims.

With lots of “momentum” in the marketplace right now, Templin adds Lexus will have its first May sales event, running now through June 1.

Within Lexus’ hybrid lineup, the HS is the second-best seller, outpacing by a wide margin the brand’s other offerings: the GS and LS sedans.

Through April, Lexus sold 119 of the GS 450h this year and just 40 of the LS 600h, a $100,000-plus vehicle.

However, the HS trails the hybrid RX cross/utility vehicle, which has been Lexus’ best-selling U.S. HEV. Lexus dealers recorded 1,232 RX 450h deliveries in April.

The HS can’t compare with the Prius. Its April sales totaled 12,555, up 49.7% from year-ago.

Still, Lexus had a solid April, with sales up 29.3% vs. like-2009.

The non-hybrid LS saw the biggest gain – up 57.5%.

The GX SUV, subject of a recent recall following a widely publicized Consumer Reports warning about its stability control, had the second-biggest gain at Lexus in April, up 47.7%.

Lexus’ worst performer last month was the aging GS, down 86.5% and selling just five units, 20 fewer than the GS 450h.

Overall, TMSUSA saw April sales rise 24.4% above year-ago on a daily basis. There were 26 days in both April 2010 and April 2009.

Most of the Toyota-brand models seeing the biggest gains in April were models newly redesigned, including the Avalon large car, up 36.1%; the Sienna minivan, up 40.6%; and the 4Runner SUV, up a whopping 204.4%.

The Corolla compact sedan, not among Toyota’s fresher designs, saw its sales soar 61.5%, almost besting the non-hybrid Camry’s volume: 26,170 vs. 26,259.

However, the Corolla’s hatchback cousin, the Matrix, saw sales slide 24.5%, according to Ward’s.

Also aging-but-strong in April was the FJ Cruiser SUV, up 52.3%, and the Tundra fullsize pickup, with sales climbing 45.4%.

The Yaris subcompact continued to struggle, with sales down 52.4% in April.

With months to go until new models debut, Toyota’s 3-model Scion youth brand continues to suffer, with sales off 19.5%.

Bob Carter, Toyota Div. group vice president and general manager, says Toyota’s generous incentives, started in March and which include 0% financing for certain models, will continue in May as part of Toyota’s annual sales event.

Bolstering the May selloff will be additional key models, such as the Camry, and RAV4 and Highlander CUVs. He says production increases of these vehicles should add 400,000 units more to Toyota’s second-quarter wholesale stock vs. year-ago.

“In the short term, we’re going to do what it takes to keep ourselves competitive in a challenged but improving market,” Carter says of continuing incentives.

“But long-term, Toyota has always been about the best product. You will see us continuing to market the product and not the deal,” he says, adding summer advertising will reflect this strategy.

Carter denies Toyota has lost momentum in the marketplace because of its recall/unintended acceleration woes, saying its retail sales leadership in April, and continued conquest rate of 40%, proves his point.

“We’ve built 40 million cars with electronic throttle controls, and we’re still looking for one that demonstrated any symptoms of unintended acceleration.”

Nevertheless, he calls Toyota’s long-term ad message as a way to “rebuild” its brand with those who might be thinking twice about buying a Toyota.

http://wardsauto.com/home/lexus_hs_april_100503/

LexFather

^^ That is a great article. We all know the HS hasn't hit sales goals it is no secret and their best months were with CFC. I've driven it extensively and it is a nice car but it has a few things not in its favor

-styling is very ho hum at best
-pricing is very high, it starts at nearly $35,000 and hits 40k then 45k with options! It is not cheap!
-MPG is best for a luxury car but I think a 40 MPG rating would have gotten more attention.
-Gas prices still are not at levels where people will jump to more fuel efficient cars
-the interior is different and people might not want that in a Lexus
-it drives remarkably well but Lexus marketing is not showing that, just talking about tech instead.

What is stated is true though, the HS is incremental in sales so its really just adding to the bottom line and adding additional volume which is good. As gas prices continue to rise I expect sales to rise as well.

(Cj)

Yup, and the A8 gets redesigned this year so Audi's probably not even sending many old A8s to dealers anymore.

Great analysis

GS69

Toyota to Keep Going w/ Incentives
Lexus Jumps in on the Action

Toyota said that it’s going to stick with its aggressive consumer incentives this month in efforts to keep its strong sales results going following a blow to the brand’s images due to massive recalls. Toyota’s Lexus brand also came out with a program of special leases and low interest rates.

During the month of April, Toyota/Scion sales were up 24 percent over the same period last year to 139,080 cars and trucks. Lexus sales were up 29 percent to 18,359.

Toyota said it will continue with cut-rate lease deals and 0 percent financing on most of its popular models. Available through June 1, Lexus is offering a new promotion called “Unprecedented Access” touting special leases and low annual percentage rate for loyal customers.

Toyota Division chief Bob Carter said that leasing made up about 35 percent of sales last month, up from 24 percent from April, 2008. He said leasing will continue to play a key role in Toyota’s strategy.

“It’s a key benefit for us,” Carter said. “Customers like to change vehicles. We believe this is a strategy that can benefit the entire industry.”

RX300-BV

That's just ridiculous Och. Because you don't see it, it doesn't exist, or it must not be true? Ford is a publicly traded company and are accountable as such. These sales numbers aren't pulled out of a hat and they certainly aren't provided just for people to look at. These are real reports put out there for investors, stock holders, and such.

If you seriously question what Ford puts out then you should seriously question all the press releases and sales figures from all manufacturers. There is no manipulation in the raw numbers. However, there is considerable marketing spin put into each and every press release put out there by these manufacturers.

I've always maintained that you cannot argue against the raw numbers but you can spin and interpret the numbers any which way you want.

Doesn't matter. Carmy sales has always included Solara. Does it bother you that Corolla sales have always included the Matrix? If Toyota wanted to call it the Camry Venza, they could have done that.

Take away the Crosstour, the Accord nameplate still outsold the Camry nameplate. 29,311 to 27,914.

Numbers are as they are reported by the manufacturers and should be accepted as that.