bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

yes it's possible, because in december lexus does a lot of incentives too. but once we see feb the picture will be clearer though. definitely not a good start for lexus.

i saw a new ES at a gas station the other day. looked very nice, but looks like an old buick to me. then again, i saw a parked new buick Regal the other day and thought it looked more like a space ship. how times change.

the GS is decent looking, but just doesn't stand out in any category.

i see lots of IS around, and to me it just doesn't look like a luxury car, out or in. when i see a mercedes C class, it looks more luxurious and classy to me. and even though the 3 series design is now old, i think the coupe is a fabulous sleek design.

one thing i don't understand about IS/GS is they don't have folding rear seats like bimmers do. would make the limited trunk space more useful.

the CT will make the HS look even uglier. and the CT is small and not luxurious, so i think it's a step backwards for lexus. it should be a toyota. maybe as a separate brand from toyota lexus HAS to measure its own average fuel economy and thus HAS to have models like the CT?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

the new model was introduced as a 2010, right? if so it's hardly "well into its lifecycle".

especially since weren't dealers a few years ago asked to invest millions more in upgrades?

agreed. the sales rate is now just 1-2 units per dealer per month.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

porsches is listed in increase, but any details?

and thanks as always to the great contributions and collation of info!!!!

GS69

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...02/517036.html

ATLANTA, Feb. 2, 2011 -- 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 January sales of 2,400, a 34% increase compared to the same period in 2010 when it sold 1,786.

January's results signify Porsche's strongest calendar-year start since 2008 and also represent the German car company's 8th-consecutive month in which it has posted double or triple digit monthly sales increases over the year previous. Porsche finished calendar year 2010 nearly 30% ahead of 2009.

"Beginning the year where we left off in 2010 is encouraging and another sign that the Porsche brand is continuing its momentum in the U.S. market," said Detlev von Platen, PCNA's President and CEO. "Obviously, our goal is to maintain this trend in 2011."

From a model standpoint, Porsche's results were again led by high market demand for the new Cayenne. Porsche's newly designed SUV has enjoyed strong market momentum since its initial launch last summer, and in January sales for the Cayenne were 1,047 compared to 590 in 2010, an increase of 77%.

Also of note in January was the continuing market success of Porsche's four-door Panamera Gran Turismo with sales of 604 for the month, compared to 534 the year prior, up 13% from a year ago.

Porsche's mid-engine sport cars enjoyed substantial gains this past month. Porsche's Boxster sales in January were 186, compared to 80 in 2010, an increase of 133%. Cayman was up 61 percent with January sales of 127 versus last year's mark of 79. Total 911 sales for the month were 436 versus 503 during the same period in 2010

Also in January, Porsche's Approved Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) cars enjoyed sales of 565 versus 546 during the same period in 2010.

Code:

Model                     Month to Date                 Year to Date
                    Current Year    Prior Year    Current Year    Prior Year
ALL BOXSTER/CAYMAN         313           159             313            159
ALL 911                    436           503             436            503
ALL CAYENNE              1,047           590           1,047            590
ALL PANAMERA               604           534             604            534
GRAND TOTALS             2,400         1,786           2,400          1,786
    
Certified Pre-Owned
                           565           546             565            546

TwiBlueG35

After studying about the auto sales for the last few years, I realize that the top three or four models of each luxury car company account for so high percentage of the total sales numbers. Let's take January 2011 as an example, the top three models of the five major Japanese and German luxury marques accounted for more than 69% of their respective sales:

BMW: there are totally 9 models in the lineup, and the total sales for 1/2011 was 15,905, but the top three selling models(3, 5, and X5) accounted for 13,151 sales, that is 82.6% of the total sales.

Lexus: totally 10 models(including LF-A), and the total sales for 1/2011 was 12,860, but the top three selling models(RX, ES, and IS) accounted for 10,088 sales, that is 78.4% of the total sales.

M-B: totally 14 models, and the total sales for 1/2011 was 16,398, but the top three selling models(E, C, and M) accounted for 11,415 sales, that is 69.6% of the total sales.

Acura: totally 6 models, and the total sales for 1/2011 was 7,961, but the top three selling models(MDX, TSX, and TL) accounted for 6,660 sales, that is 83.7% of the total sales.

Infiniti: totally 6 models, and the total sales for 1/2011 was 7,405, but the top three selling models(G sedan, G coupe, and FX) accounted for 5,264 sales, that is 71.1% of the total sales.

One interesting thing is that all of these successful models of each brand are mainly 2 sedans and 1 crossover, with the only exception being the G coupe of Infiniti.

situman

What's more embarassing? Look who's a few units below Lexus.

TRDFantasy

One more thing to add regarding all these new Lexus models debuting close to each other; Toyota did say last year that future mid-model changes would be more significant. If Toyota keeps to their word then in a few years the major Lexus models should remain fresh with the mid-model changes.

GS69

To be fair, GM spends a lot more $$$ than Toyota on incentives. I cannot find individual brand incentives this month but historically Cadillac spends 3 to 4 times as much as Lexus.

Here is info on the automakers:

Dealer: Incentive Spending up 7.5%

PHP Code:

True Cost of IncentivesSM (TCISM) for the Top 6 Automakers

Automaker
January 2011
December 2010
January 2010

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep)
$3,386
$3,522
$3,017

Ford (Ford, Lincoln, Mercury)
$2,859
$3,304
$3,073

General Motors (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet,
GMC)
$3,762
$3,255
$2,910

Honda (Acura, Honda)
$1,587
$1,561
$1,216

Nissan (Infiniti, Nissan)
$2,231
 $2,229
$2,419

Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)
$2,012
$2,055
$1,454

Industry Average
$2,530
$2,538
$2,353 


bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

GS69, hope you didn't mind, i cleaned up the porsche data table.

LexFather

Not to mention weather clearly affected everyone's sales and will do so in February. We also have this crisis in Egypt and gas prices rising.

I don't think we will have a clear 2011 picture until it gets warmer in April/May.

GS69

Honda Fit Beats Toyota Prius to Top Japan Sales

TOKYO (AP) -- Honda's Fit subcompact overtook Toyota's Prius gasoline-electric hybrid as Japan's top-selling car in January, its 1st return to that spot in nearly 2 years.

The figures released Friday by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association show how the end of government subsidies for green cars have hurt sales of the Prius after holding the top spot in Japan for 20 straight months. It remains the world's top-selling hybrid.

Fit sales in January surged nearly 14% from a year earlier to 14,873 vehicles, about half of them hybrids, the Tokyo-based maker of the Odyssey minivan, Accord sedan and Asimo robot said.

The last time the Fit was a top-seller was in March 2009.

"It's better to be No. 1," said Honda Motor Co. President Takanobu Ito after also playing down its importance.

"My priority is that all our models record solid sales," he told reporters.

Government-backed incentives for green cars mostly ended in September, hurting sales of the Prius, which fell 38% in January to 13,711 cars.

Fit sales didn't suffer as much because it is cheaper and it went through remodeling relatively recently -- going on sale in October in Japan, including gas-electric hybrid versions as well as regular gas-engine models. It goes on sale this year in Europe as the Jazz model, but the new hybrid Fit is not set to go on sale in North America.

The Fit from Honda, Japan's No. 3 automaker, is the cheapest hybrid at 1.59 million yen ($19,000), making it an attractive buy for many, especially with additional dealer discounts.

The latest Prius, which went on sale in May 2009, starts at about 2 million yen ($25,000).

Toyota said it will continue to do its best to woo customers to its models, including the Prius.

"We are grateful to our customers for having made the Prius the top-selling model for 20 consecutive months," the world's biggest automaker said in a statement.

The end of such incentives is hurting overall Japanese car sales, including Honda models. Worries are growing about a further plunge in auto demand in coming months.

While the special incentives have ended, tax breaks for green cars continue until April 2012.

Toyota Motor Corp., which also makes Lexus luxury models and Camry sedans, sold 315,669 Prius cars in its home market last year, up 51% from 2009 -- and a record in Japan's auto history for a nameplate.

Toyota's reputation in Japan has held up relatively well despite the massive recalls that have dented its image in North America.

Earlier this week, Honda reported a nearly 40% drop in quarterly profit, hit by a strong yen and fading sales in Japan.

But it was upbeat about the full fiscal year through March and raised its profit forecast, crediting cost cuts and better model offerings.

Toyota reports earnings Feb. 8.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

^^^ just checked the fit web page, it was entertaining.

http://automobiles.honda.com/fit/

LexFather

Seems the new Fit hybrid helped with the surge of sales.

Noted

Gojirra99

LOL I can't believe you said that , the current C class always look like an economy car to me from most angles except the nose. yep I think it looks good from the front view, especially the sports package nose. Even the non- sport model have a pretty nice looking nose. But from any other angles where you cannot see the nose, it looks econo and is not aesthetically appealing at all .

YEH

Keep in mind Toyota sales in Jan. of 2010 were low due to stuck pedal issue and the stop sale; most automakers are ahead of their Jan. 2009 nos., but not Toyota.

Also, the Corolla not only beat the Civic, but the Camry as well since Toyota dumped a lot into fleet.

Have to take into account fleet sales. Aside from the Accord, all the rest have quite a bit higher fleet sales % than the Sonata (for instance, the fleet sale % for the Altima in 2010 was nearly twice that for the Sonata and that's including fleet sales of the old Sonata).

As for the Genesis, winter is a tough time to sell a car w/o available AWD; still the Genesis sedan probably outsold most of its import competition.