Just hit me that I'm compiling sales and Kia and Hyundai both have Flagship luxury vehicles. Kudos to them!!!

 

MB is selling more S classes than the next 3 combined

 

Inventory is up, Demand is still up, Production is up. It is such a hit its not even funny. Mercedes really outdid themselves with the new W222

 

The G25 was barely any cheaper than the G37, you couldn't get options like navigation, and the fuel economy gain was negligible at best. That's a recipe for failure.

Infiniti's president has said the Q50 will be getting a turbo I4 in a year or two, in any event. See here: http://blog.caranddriver.com/infinit...mercedes-benz/. Once that arrives the G37 can finally die. I think it's important to remember that when we look at Q50 sales; there's a bargain model in the stable of similar size that is a great, if dated, vehicle.

 

It's funny seeing the little ladies driving the big S class.

 

What's also great is that the 7-8 year old LS is quite often the 2nd best selling car in this segment. It is at 2679 sales YTD versus the 2556 sales of the 7-series.

The next LS line should give the S-class a good run for its money.

 

When did the A6 outsell the GS? I still remember when both units were around the same units sold but it seems that was long time ago lol

 

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...257539171.html

IRVINE, Calif., May 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported April U.S. sales of 22,434 vehicles, representing an increase of 12.8 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales through April are up 2.4 percent versus last year, with 100,492 vehicles sold.

"April saw customers emerging from their long winter hibernation, and traffic and sales were where we expected to see them earlier in the year," said Ron Stettner, VP, Sales for MNAO. "Along with the improved weather, positive financial news as companies report earnings, a recovering housing market and the Dow in positive territory, have all conspired to give shoppers the confidence to return to the market. We're seeing it in retail traffic, and we're seeing it in sales results."

Key April sales notes:

Mazda3 sales represented the best April performance since 2010 with 8,586 vehicles sold and an increase of 21.5 percent, year-over-year (YOY).
April sales of Mazda6 accounted for its best April since 2008 with 3,817 vehicles sold, which was good for an increase of 30.1 percent YOY.
CX-5 sales totaled 6,835 vehicles in April, an increase of 9.2 percent. This is the best April sales ever for CX-5.
SKYACTIV® TECHNOLOGY, proof that fuel economy and performance can live harmoniously in the same vehicle, totaled 85.8 percent of Mazda's April sales with 19,248 vehicles sold. SKYACTIV Technology is currently offered in the Mazda3, Mazda6 and CX-5.
Mazda's Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales reported April sales of 3,317 vehicles, up 13.0 percent YOY. Year-to-date sales through April are up 17.0 percent with 13,533 vehicles sold.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported best-ever April sales of 2,643 vehicles, up 8.0 percent versus April of last year. This is the 15th consecutive record month of sales.

 

Agreed, the new S class is just a great car

 

You mean 2 year old?

 

I think Infiniti's problem with the Q50 is that they are still selling the G alongside it. Monthly they sell over 1000 G37s which would probably be Q50 sales. I don't know why they continue to offer the G sedan.

 

Yeah that's what I said in post #49- I completely agree. The reason the G is still here is because it starts at $32k ($34k for AWD models) while the Q50 starts at $37k. When the turbo I4 motor arrives for the Q50 I'm sure the G will disappear for good.

 

The Q70 (M) has also been around for 4 years now and is due for a refresh. It was actually selling pretty well in its second year. For comparison, in 2010/2011, Infiniti sold a total of over 25,000 Ms in those two years, averaging just over 1000/units per month. The RLX is just starting its 2nd year and is already selling 1/3 of that amount. This is an apples to apples comparison and it shows what a flop the RLX is. How many units will they be selling in 3 years from now if they are already down to 350 units/month in only its second year?

Because they wanted to keep the G37 as their entry level model and have the Q50 be positioned slightly higher. I know they're renaming the G37 the Q40 soon and there's been talk of a new FWD entry level sedan coming, so I wouldn't be surprised if the G37/Q40 eventually morphed into that model. I don't think there's anything wrong with offering two entry level sedans (hello IS/ES), as long as there's enough differences to differentiate between the two.

 

Thank you for that amazing insight and excuses from a green perspective..

The IS and ES are COMPLETELY different. The Q50 is the new G37. The IS outsold the Q50 again and this time by over 1,000 units. The Q50 has an aggressive lease program too. Really surprised to see it selling under 3k units.

 

But really- are you THAT surprised? The G37 has the exact same powertrain as the non-hybrid Q50 and comes with a solid standard equipment list and cheap options. The Q50 sold 2626 units and the G37 netted 1525. It's 80% of the Q50 for cheaper, imo, and its sitting right next to the Q50 in the show room. Infiniti is basically giving potential Q50 customers a reason to be cheap and not feel bad about it.

It's Infiniti's fault and they seem to be strangely OK with it. I think a similar situation would happen even for Lexus is they decided the last-gen IS250 or IS350 could chill in the dealer showroom next to the new model.