Lexus September 2018 Sales Report

I really do not think the useless RC refresh is going to help the sales..

You know it really is only the RC down huge year over year. The new ES and UX are going to bolster things for 2019 as the LS and LC just are not selling as expected.

LS sales are holding steady!!!

Berto3818

LS sales are ok..... maybe not but why is that?

The goal was 1k a month. Less than 700 last month for a brand new model is not good and no way to sugarcoat things.

Maybe its time for a couple project cars to help raise awareness.

mikeavelli

The goal was 1k a month. Less than 700 last month for a brand new model is not good and no way to sugarcoat things.

Maybe its time for a couple project cars to help raise awareness.

They already featured the cars in the Super Bowl and Black Panther... what more can they do?

Why are we comparing 2016 numbers

SteVVT-i

Why are we comparing 2016 numbers

My template was outdated. Now updated to 2017.

@mikeavelli I mean if you look and compare from the last model.. it looks like it is doing good.. Yes they did say 1k a month and since they aren't hitting that mark I guess it's a bad thing.

@krew what do you think sir?

LS and LC missing their targets are a bad thing, considering the resources they threw at the two projects. The bigger problem is, of course, that the LQ is still two years away. Not having a flagship crossover ready before 2017 was the biggest flop in the entire history of the brand.

mikeavelli

The goal was 1k a month. Less than 700 last month for a brand new model is not good and no way to sugarcoat things.

How is it in comparison to Mercedes and Bimmer? Everyone's numbers are weighted towards crossovers.

Maybe its time for a couple project cars to help raise awareness.

SEMA's less than a month away lol...

All I wanted to do was make a quick post comparing Lexus and MB's year over year % change but ended up doing this, lol.

Audi hasn't released their numbers but I left them a space for when they do report.


Sept 2018 Sales
MB - 26,169
BMW - 25,908
Lexus - 24,597
Audi -

Sept 2017 to 2018
Audi - +9.6%
BMW : +1.3%
Lexus : -2.3%
MB :

2018 Year to date sales
BMW - 225,908
MB - 225,384
Lexus - 213,622
Audi -

Also worth noting MB S Class did 684 this month, albeit its coming towards the end of the cycle, for the class leader, its not far off from the LS at 668. The sales are probably getting spread to other units that are coming up in quality and also to SUVs.


MB
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-r...rts-september-sales-of-26169-units-2018-10-02




BMW
https://www.theautochannel.com/news/2018/10/02/631193-bmw-reports-september-2018-u-s-sales.html




LEXUS
(just for sake of comparison)



AUDI
https://www.media.audiusa.com/en-us/releases/192

LF-1 can't come soon enough. Lexus has not been treated kindly by the shift to SUVs.

Sales are looking south , the RC refresh looks good but that car needs to be a whole new one . The IS is down and at the end of its life ,just have to wait for a new one , the LC is fine it’s a grand tourer it’s not suppose to sell good in September Thur next year March 2019 . The Ls should of been 85 to 90,000 all in then it would of moved like hot cakes The sales should come full circle by December to remember, the new ES and the suv’s will put them in the green .

Gecko

LF-1 can't come soon enough. Lexus has not been treated kindly by the shift to SUVs.

Yeah, although interestingly on the M-B side both the S and GLS are down sharply so it's not entirely an SUV thing. It almost looks like everything high-end is just not selling.

GTG

Sales are looking south , the RC refresh looks good but that car needs to be a whole new one . The IS is down and at the end of its life ,just have to wait for a new one , the LC is fine it’s a grand tourer it’s not suppose to sell good in September Thur next year March 2019 . The Ls should of been 85 to 90,000 all in then it would of moved like hot cakes The sales should come full circle by December to remember, the new ES and the suv’s will put them in the green .

Reluctantly, I agree on all the vehicle statements, especially RC/IS are outclassed. Has anyone seen the new 3-series (bland styling aside), it's a powerhouse on tech and performance.

Also, Tesla is hitting hard on the compact and large luxury sedan market with their Model 3 and S.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gobbles-usa-luxury-car-market-8-charts-graphs/

View attachment 3019

Lexus needs to fast-track the release of the LF-1, next IS, and their hydrogen-powered LS soon enough or full EV to remain competitive in this class to become the market leader it once was but I fear the price tag will make the Model S a bargain.

Regarding LS have 2 main points

1) yes it sold less than the targeted number in USA but more than the targeted number in a lot of other places like Japan, China and Europe

2) the full sized luxury sedan market in USA is already down and the LS is among the top 3

corradoMR2

Reluctantly, I agree on all the vehicle statements, especially RC/IS are outclassed. Has anyone seen the new 3-series (bland styling aside), it's a powerhouse on tech and performance.

Also, Tesla is hitting hard on the compact and large luxury sedan market with their Model 3 and S.

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/10/03/yep-tesla-gobbles-usa-luxury-car-market-8-charts-graphs/

View attachment 3019

Lexus needs to fast-track the release of the LF-1, next IS, and their hydrogen-powered LS soon enough or full EV to remain competitive in this class to become the market leader it once was but I fear the price tag will make the Model S a bargain.

What exactly is 3 series powerhouse in? It looks very bland, and interior is not luxurious at all.

Also, as to the Tesla, obviously if you look at luxury car sales, it is not Tesla that is taking away numbers...

I think overall a bit of a disappointment, especially the new ES - I thought sales of this brand new model would be way up so unless there was a delay in supply this figure is a let down. When and where is the UX -already launched in Europe according to magazine reports.
Instead of producing a yacht I believe Lexus need to focus on their cars, the IS is now at least five or six years old and even that new model was not a radical change more of an evolution rather than brand new. The GS may even be older not sure in any event both need to be improved and completely refreshed. The RC to my mind is fundamentally flawed too heavy and not up to the competition in terms of overall appeal - should focus on the LC. The RC has been a very slow seller.
If the Tesla figures are factual as indicated in this thread then they have done well and surely other manufacturers need to investigate this drain of their traditional sales - have read of several quite serious problems with Tesla? Porsche have announced in South Africa that their electric model will be available in 2019 and the Audi is already here. Where is Lexus?

I wouldn't take current Tesla sales estimates as meaning anything about when Lexus or anyone else needs to offer EVs. The current Tesla customer base looks on non-Tesla EVs with even more disdain than they do ICE vehicles.

Rob Grieveson

I think overall a bit of a disappointment, especially the new ES - I thought sales of this brand new model would be way up so unless there was a delay in supply this figure is a let down.

I think their supply is limited to 5k per month, they might be able to get more in few months, but ES sales are great.

Actually, Lexus car sales went up compared to last year, so 32k Tesla sales is not influencing Lexus car sales. I am pretty sure it is same for Audi, BMW and MB, sales are within 2-3% of last year overall.

With September marking the end of the 3rd quarter of 2018, It's worth noting the highlights of Lexus USA's September 2018 and Q3 2018 Sales Conference Call:

Lexus'...hybrid models are having a great year. For example, the NXh and RXh continue to be top sellers, clinching Lexus' standing as the luxury hybrid leader. In fact, NX hybrid had its best September ever while RX hybrid saw its best September in over eight years...

Sales for (September) totaled 24,597 with LUVs accounting for 65% of that volume. Our flagship sedan, the LS, has doubled volume year over year in September, and our all-new seventh-generation ES went on sale in September and is off to a phenomenal start. Sales in September were up 23% year-over-year.

For the quarter, NX hybrid and RX hybrid had their best-ever third quarter in sales volume, and our total RX sales were a best-ever third quarter. LS had its best third quarter sales in five years.

Moving on to our year-to-date performance, Lexus sold 213,622 units, which includes a best-ever year-to-date for sales volume in our luxury utility vehicles. The RX remains the top selling luxury vehicle with sales up nearly 5% and RX L, our third-row RX, has been a huge success since its launch in February and accounts for over 20% of the total RX volume. LS, our flagship, has experienced doubling in sales and market share this year...

Our outlook for the luxury market remains at 2.1 million, and we're looking forward to finishing the year very strong. Finally, by the time we talk on our next quarterly call, we will be launching the all-new UX, which is planned for December and we're very excited to bring this new vehicle to market to bring new, younger buyers to Lexus.

spwolf

I think their supply is limited to 5k per month, they might be able to get more in few months, but ES sales are great.

Actually, Lexus car sales went up compared to last year, so 32k Tesla sales is not influencing Lexus car sales. I am pretty sure it is same for Audi, BMW and MB, sales are within 2-3% of last year overall.

5K sales for the ES is pretty good given how many less buyers there are now for sedans. IS and GS combined will never see such numbers nowadays.

Tragic Bronson

5K sales for the ES is pretty good given how many less buyers there are now for sedans. IS and GS combined will never see such numbers nowadays.

It is good regardless of anything else... It outsold NX to be 2nd best selling Lexus for the month... it is 20% of total Lexus sales.

Joaquin Ruhi

With September marking the end of the 3rd quarter of 2018, It's worth noting the highlights of Lexus USA's September 2018 and Q3 2018 Sales Conference Call:

so RX-L doing fine...

spwolf

What exactly is 3 series powerhouse in? It looks very bland, and interior is not luxurious at all.

Also, as to the Tesla, obviously if you look at luxury car sales, it is not Tesla that is taking away numbers...

While it seems tons of people are saying it looks like a Lexus, it won't matter, it will sell and there is an optiona 340Mi with 382hp!

spwolf

so RX-L doing fine...

That is good news. Hadn't heard much on it.

mikeavelli

While it seems tons of people are saying it looks like a Lexus, it won't matter, it will sell and there is an optiona 340Mi with 382hp!



That is good news. Hadn't heard much on it.

2k per month means it outsells most other Lexus vehicles :)

Once production is ramped up, I fully expect ES to become best seller among 5 and E. Despite what Lexus says about it competing with C/3, it is a full size car.

I mentioned this before, but I really believe most people in this segment are looking for is space, comfort and luxury features, which ES delivers on all of those things for 50% of the price of E and 5. What ES has done to GS, I expect it to begin doing to the other midsize sedans.

What is the real reason to buy 5 or E over ES... if you have to have RWD? If so, that is a small % of shoppers who even know the difference.

Time will tell.

Gecko

What is the real reason to buy 5 or E over ES... if you have to have RWD? If so, that is a small % of shoppers who even know the difference.

Agreed. And I expect the arrival of the AWD ES will accelerate that effect.