US Luxury Sales JULY 2008 : BMW #1 - outsells Lexus for third time in 2008

[AMERICA 123]

It's Bloomberg - so remember, numbers should be checked.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...Q3M&refer=home

BMW Threatens Lexus as Top-Selling U.S. Luxury Brand (Update2)

By Mike Ramsey

Aug. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, buoyed by a new line of small cars, threatens to end the 8-year reign of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus as the No. 1 U.S. luxury brand.

The German automaker's namesake brand topped Lexus in July for the third time in 2008.

BMW, the world's largest maker of luxury cars, trails Lexus by 3,466 sales after 7 months, erasing 90 percent of the gap from the start of the year. -

-``Looking at BMW's lineup with all the gas issues of the day, they may be in better shape than Lexus,'' said Stephanie Brinley, a product researcher with AutoPacific Inc. in Southfield, Michigan. She said Munich-based BMW may pass Lexus by the end of the year.

- The 1-Series generated 7,400 U.S. sales through July that the Munich-based automaker didn't have a year earlier.

- V-8 Engines :

- Lexus this year has introduced a redesigned version of its biggest SUV, the $74,000 LX 570, powered by a 383-horsepower V-8 engine, and the $56,000, 416-horsepower, IS F sports sedan.

- The brand is suffering its biggest decline since Toyota City, Japan- based Toyota unveiled it in 1989.

Lexus and General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac have held the top-luxury-brand title for most of the past seven decades. Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln took the crown from Cadillac in 1998 and ceded it to Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz a year later. Lexus has held it since.

To be clear - for 'only' the last seven decades ..... Lincoln 1, Mercedes Benz 1, Lexus 8, and Cadillac.... 60.

- Lexus relied on SUVs for 39 percent of its 2007 U.S. sales; BMW's SUVs accounted for 22 percent of its volume.

- To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Ramsey in Southfield, Michigan, at mramsey6@bloomberg.net

Preliminarily reports from Europe are even worse for Lexus.

Almost the same in Japan.

And one must ask, ( if fully correct ) why wasn't this pointed out by anyone concerning the two earlier months BMW outperformed Lexus ?

[CamaroCrazy]

Interesting.....more cracks in Toyota's armor?.....if the numbers are correct

[I-Love-Pontiac]

Well... anything is better than Lexus. I wonder where Cadillac ranks.

[megeebee]

Lexus and General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac have held the top-luxury-brand title for most of the past seven decades. Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln took the crown from Cadillac in 1998 .....

This gave me a headache. It makes no sense.

[wescoent]

Originally Posted by megeebee

This gave me a headache. It makes no sense.

Which part... Cadillac surrendering its crown, or the fact that it surrendered to Lincoln?

The second part is easy... 1998 was the only year Lincoln has the Town Car, Continental, Mark, and Navigator all being sold together.

[I-Love-Pontiac]

I think he means that they combined lexus and cadilliac.

That's like saying Toyota and General motors have been the world's largest automaker for 77 years.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by CamaroCrazy

Interesting.....more cracks in Toyota's armor?.....if the numbers are correct

Appears that they are for July 2008.

BMW exclusive of Mini = 23,914.

Lexus ( all types ) = 22,182.

For comparison, in July 2007 the same was

BMW 24,295

Lexus 27,141

**************

Perhaps the most interesting number concerning Lexus versus Cadillac in the US, is that while overall this isn't shaping up as a great year for Cadillac, they have gained ground on Lexus.

Last year by the end of July 2007, Cadillac had 61.44% of Lexus sales volume

This year, that YTD number is 64.40%

YTD 2008 vs. YTD 2007, Cadillac has lost 13,372 units, and Lexus has lost more than double that at 28,450.

Again for comparison's sake, BMW has lost 13,447.

The reason why the same approx total unit loss means 'some good' things for BMW and not as strongly so for Cadillac is that BMW starts with a larger base number in 2007.

[CADZILLA_53]

What fools these people are. I work in the service and parts departments of a GM dealership. Every single BMW and/or european car that comes thru as a used car, have so many problems with them it isn't funny. We get more BMW's than any other. They actually aquire more problems after they have been put on the lot. The are falling apart in front of our eyes.
I wont buy anything but American iron anyway, but if I had to buy foreign, I would take the Lexus over the europeans anyday !!!!!

Originally Posted by AMERICA 123

It's Bloomberg - so remember, numbers should be checked.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...Q3M&refer=home

To be clear - for 'only' the last seven decades ..... Lincoln 1, Mercedes Benz 1, Lexus 8, and Cadillac.... 60.


Preliminarily reports from Europe are even worse for Lexus.

Almost the same in Japan.

And one must ask, ( if fully correct ) why wasn't this pointed out by anyone concerning the two earlier months BMW outperformed Lexus ?

[stevecmh]

nice to see Lexus falling

[b4z]

And BMWs are unbelievably expensive compared to their competition.
Can you imagine Caddy trying to sell a smalleer version of the CTS for over $40K.

[DarkKnight67]

Yeah, I really feel sorry for them. They've stuck it to everyone else, and even though I'd like to see Cadillac be the one to put them down off their pedestal, it's still about time.

[FBODYRULES]

I love hearing any bad news regarding toyota/lexus failing!

I thought it was common knowledge that cadillac held it for that long and the whole time lincoln was fighting to beat them in sales,
they were at each others throats right from day 1, thats where the whole ford vs chevy thing comes from too

Originally Posted by AMERICA 123

Appears that they are for July 2008.

BMW exclusive of Mini = 23,914.

Lexus ( all types ) = 22,182.

For comparison, in July 2007 the same was

BMW 24,295

Lexus 27,141

**************

Perhaps the most interesting number concerning Lexus versus Cadillac in the US, is that while overall this isn't shaping up as a great year for Cadillac, they have gained ground on Lexus.

Last year by the end of July 2007, Cadillac had 61.44% of Lexus sales volume

This year, that YTD number is 64.40%

YTD 2008 vs. YTD 2007, Cadillac has lost 13,372 units, and Lexus has lost more than double that at 28,450.

Again for comparison's sake, BMW has lost 13,447.

The reason why the same approx total unit loss means 'some good' things for BMW and not as strongly so for Cadillac is that BMW starts with a larger base number in 2007.

this is really interesting

[marinerbc]

Originally Posted by CADZILLA_53

What fools these people are. I work in the service and parts departments of a GM dealership. Every single BMW and/or european car that comes thru as a used car, have so many problems with them it isn't funny. We get more BMW's than any other. They actually acquire more problems after they have been put on the lot. The are falling apart in front of our eyes.

I've talked to some honest BMW owners about this, and the honest ones simply don't care if it breaks. When their cars break, they use the wife's/husband's (so long as IT isn't 8 feet in the air) and then brag about having a Beemer. Of the three that I know, two of them brag about the car being worth the grief and $$$ it costs them in status alone.

I still maintain that true reliability is not people's first concern, even if they say it is, and neither is fuel mileage; it's all about image. It's why people here in downtown Frozen PolarBearville drive Dodge Rams with Cummins diesels to go to the store and buy a loaf of bread, and have never had anything bigger than a toolbox in the custom lined bed of the thing.

People don't care about the cost of the car, or the price of fuel; they care about what other people drive, and what the auto press tells them to drive.

[chakis24]

Originally Posted by megeebee

This gave me a headache. It makes no sense.

thats easy, to make lexus look better than it is.

[ChevroletRevived]

Good to see Cadillac getting closer to No. 1 even though it has lost a bit of sales (due to the economy). Hopefully BMW takes it this year!