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March 2008 Luxury Car Sales - Winners & Losers

Teknik submitted on 4/2/2008 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 1:56:19 AM

81 user comments | Category: Misc News | Source: www.autospies.com

Tag Link: March 2008 Luxury Car Sales

March 2008 Luxury Car Sales - Winners & Losers

BRAND TOTAL
1.

Lexus - 24,939
2. BMW - 23,115
3. Mercedes-Benz - 20,808
4. Cadillac - 17,453
5. Infiniti - 13,821
6. Acura - 13,288
7. Lincoln - 10,913
8. Volvo - 9,263
9. Audi - 7,987
10. Saab - 2,962
11. Jaguar - 1,752

PRE-ENTRY LEVEL
1. Acura TSX - 2,280
2. Volvo S40 - 1,528
3. BMW 1-Series - 1,496

ENTRY-LEVEL
1. BMW 3-Series - 11,226
2. Infiniti G - 8,269
3. Mercedes-Benz C-Class - 6,713
4. Cadillac CTS - 6,045
5. Lexus ES - 6,019
6. Lexus IS - 4,798
7. Acura TL - 4,269
8. Audi A4 - 4,061
9. Lincoln MKZ - 3,501
10. Saab 9-3 - 2,133
11. Volvo S60 - 1,243
12. Jaguar X-Type - 46

MID-LEVEL
1. BMW 5-Series - 3,667
2. Mercedez-Benz E-Class - 3,039
3. Infiniti M - 1,753
4. Lexus GS - 1,668
5. Volvo S80 - 1,629
6. Cadillac STS - 1,486
7. Jaguar XF - 1,161
8. Audi A6 - 898
9. Acura RL - 548
10. Saab 9-5 - 316
11. Jaguar S-Type - 80

FLAGSHIP
1. Lexus LS - 2,125
2. Mercedez-Benz S-Class - 1,622
3. BMW 7-Series - 1,467
4. Audi A8 - 249
5. Jaguar XJ - 218

About the Author

User Comments

Lexus sold the most cars last month and the LS outsold the other very high end sedans, but those seem to be the only area in which Lexus leads. I wouldn't call that "most areas". Lexus also has not been doing well overseas.
— MattB (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:12:26 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

"xdrive_"

And the Lexus LS 600h? You pricing info on that one out...
— silver1 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:49:55 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

You left the pricing info out on that one
— silver1 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:50:41 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

xdrive, you obviously have no clue who the customers are for those cars. And if a difference of $10 000 is what you look at then you CAN NOT afford these cars.
— zorbeeze (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:11:17 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -2

With 8000 dollar rebates on the 7 series its cheaper than the ls460.The lease deals are much cheaper.
— autopro (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 4:21:18 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

xdrive if you actually think a Lexus dealer will sell you the LS at MSRP you are kidding yourself. The price difference is less than most think. People like to pretend they know without actually shopping around.
— zorbeeze (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 4:52:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -3

Are you blind or just plain stupid? Can you not read the sales numbers? Lexus doesn't lead anything but 1 of categories posted. Overall sales yes, but certain Lexuses are having their assess handed to them in sales.
— Mercedes (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 2:18:49 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

The 3 Series sold better than the ES and IS combined :-O

Nice CTS sales!

And LMAO at the S-Type.
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 9:30:53 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

The 3 Series sold better than the C-Class and A4 combined

Nice Inifiniti G sales

And LMAO at everything under the lexus IS.
— Denali (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:33:48 AM | | Votes: 6

hopefully the XF can help change that...
— r15mohd (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:35:04 AM | | Votes: 3

Super cheap lease deals on 3 series,thats the only thing holding up BMW's numbers.
— autopro (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 4:22:45 PM | | Votes: 1

"The 3 Series sold better than the ES and IS combined :-"

by all of 409 units. whoopeeee....

and if there were ANY 2 dr model Lexi, that difference would be obliterated.

how many different 3-ers are there? vs. all of ONE ES and 2.1 IS models? (0.1 for the IS-F, extremely limited production.)

— ChicaneShooter (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 1:51:35 AM | | Votes: 1

The cadillac CTS sales the dealers cannot keep them in stock! The CTS was motor trend car of the year and there was not one lexus even in the running what does that say about the boring grandma car lexus
— bestofallcad (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 11:12:40 AM | | Votes: 0

Here is a article about Lexus. I am quite surprised to see Lexus suffering so badly, after all if you look at the monthly percentages it doesn’t seem to add up. However the way Lexus reports figures with the DSR method, can lead to deceiving percentages that only are uncovered by raw data comparison. The most disturbing trend is the methodical loss of more and more sales each month. Could it be Lexus buyers are hanging on by their bootstraps weathering the storm? Or are there underlying issues with the brand?
— bestofallcad (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 12:11:42 PM | | Votes: 0

If you add up the cars listed on this page, BMW beats out Lexus. What this means is Lexus is selling better in the SUV area than in the car segment.

BMW cars: 17,856
Lexus cars: 14,610

I'd like to see the breakdown for the luxury SUV's
— jeffy210 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 9:56:43 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

the RX is Lexus' bread and butter
— pushrod27 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 9:59:14 AM | | Votes: 8

jeffy,

look deeper into the numbers. BMW has a BROADER product portfolio than Lexus, hence they sell more cars. How many variations of the 3-series does BMW have? Let's see, they got a 3-series coupe, sedan, convertible and station wagons in different engines. that's 8 models right there, then you have BMW in segments that Lexus doesn't even represent such as the Z4, BMW 6-series. All that should add up to more sales, and it does, not to mention m-series models for every vehicle.
— skinny (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:06:46 AM | | Votes: 12

a man with sense...great points!
— r15mohd (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:24:36 AM | | Votes: 2

"How many variations of the 3-series does BMW have?"

And how is that BMW`s fault. Lexus is the one that decided not to make different variations of their car. Cadillac should be providing a coupe and wagon version of the CTS. Lexus on the other hand decided to make 2 sedans for the same market (entry luxury).
Blame Lexus for leaving so many people out in the cold.
— zorbeeze (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:15:30 PM | | Votes: 4

But you forgot to mention that BMW does not have an ES or LX competitor.

Since when is the SC not a 6 Series competitor?
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:39:29 PM | | Votes: 4

I'm kind of surprised they sell so few A8s. I've never driven it (and can't see myself ever driving anything in that class), but I think it's a GORGEOUS big sedan.
— finishline (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:01:53 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

The A8's not bad, I've driven both the current and previous generation. Reminds me of an old American car, except with far better handling and of course, a fantastic interior. It's less 'European' feeling than something like the 7-series, for example, but still a great car. It's also, relative to the other models, reasonably priced. I do think that Audi still doesn't have the reputation of BMW/MB/Lexus. Too many of the A8's potential purchasers remember the 5000, and the young folks who like Audi's are buying A4's, not A8's.
— altdude (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:55:18 AM | | Votes: 4

interesting that the Infiniti symbol is the one they show. I would say that is because it is the fastest moving brand in this segment. Anyone notice that Infiniti sold more then Acura?
— montyz81 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:04:03 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 7

acura is becoming a bland brand...only vehicle worth looking is the TL, and with their newly awful concept designs...things don't look all so well for them

hoepfully the intor of the rwd v8 for the RL sparks something.

infiniti has some gems in their lot...the G sedan/coupe are great sellers, the M35/45 needs some refreshening, and possibly the intro of the Q to stir up things in the flagship segment. they can only shoot themselves in the foot, and by the looks of the FX it's like they have the gun aimed at the big toe!
— r15mohd (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:29:07 AM | | Votes: 1

Infiniti overtaking Acura is amazing! AC use to have quite a lead on them - and look at those G sales - nearly twice IS!
— M35MT (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 8:04:44 AM | | Votes: 4

Wow the infiniti G is doing well. I think that if they offered a smaller engine version that was more fuel efficient, the G's sales may be able to decrese the gap between its sales and the 3 series and possibly over take the gap. Wow!
— 0to60 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:38:42 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 8

I agree...Nissan has a 2.5L version of their V6 which would potentially be a good option for the G-class sedan.
— MattB (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:44:28 AM | | Votes: 4

What, no percentages? Were we lazy or did we not like the answers?
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:31:57 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

In the luxury market segment, Lexus should not be able to include those cars that are rebadged Toyotas.

I call'em, how I see'em :-)
— EL34 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:36:03 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -4

Same should go for Audi and Lincoln.
— zorbeeze (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:19:54 PM | | Votes: 0

why not, when high end TOYOTAS have more features and cost more than all the "pre-entry" and "entry level" competitors? meaning full boat Camrys, Avalon, and most especially, the Land Cruiser.
— ChicaneShooter (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 2:00:59 AM | | Votes: 0

plus, 7 to 10 or 15 years down the road, all those TOYOTAS (as well as contemporary Lexi) will STILL be running almost trouble free, while ALL the non-Japanese overrated "luxury" competitors are spending more and more time in the shop.

and have been LONG SINCE abandoned by the original owners.
— ChicaneShooter (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 2:05:03 AM | | Votes: -1

...and will have been

— ChicaneShooter (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 2:09:26 AM | | Votes: 2

didnt you notice, el34, that the land cruiser is alredy practically a luxo suv?? ever been in one? oh wait... ;)
— lexusrox123 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 1:37:02 PM | | Votes: 0

I agree with EL34 all lexus is is a toyoto camry do you consider that a luxury car? You can not even tell the difference between the toyoto and the lexus except for the name plates and emblems if I were a lexus buyer save yourself some money and by a toyoto and switch out the name plates and the emblems and wow you have a lexus and just think you saved yourself about $15,000
— bestofallcad (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 11:24:02 AM | | Votes: -1

Basically, on this site you have have haters, fanboys, or just the usual shockingly & mind-boggling moronic, plus a few reasonable, insightful, intelligent and entertaining posters, but no matter how you spin it, you can't deny the success of Lexus and the LS. Maybe it's just this country (for now), but this car obviously rings the most bells for the buying public. I see plenty of them on the streets of NYC being used as private, chauffer-driven cars, so they're being embraced by those who would have normally bought a Mercedes or BMW (or Cadillac in the old days).

3 Series sales are insane - that is incredible volume for what's now a pretty expensive car. But again, exclusivity is no longer part of the luxury car equation for this car.

— Hachee2001 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:59:32 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

I agree with you. I couldn't have put it better.
— 07G35J (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:46:49 PM | | Votes: 3

i've also seen plenty of Ls's in japan while i was there over the summer, however, you also see a lot of bmw's and mb's too.
— lexusrox123 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 1:39:03 PM | | Votes: 1

Percentages

Brand -Actual %- DSR %

1. Jaguar 5.1 13.2
2. Saab 4.4 12.4
3. Infiniti -0.4 7.3
4. Audi -0.4 7.2
5. Mercedes-Benz -3.7 3.7
6. BMW -5.4 1.8
7. Cadillac -7.9 -0.8
8. Volvo -13.1 -6.4
9. Lexus -13.6 -6.9
10. Acura -21.8 -15.8
11. Lincoln -26.1 -20.4

All the spacing work isn't going to turn out right; oh well.
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:02:03 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

LOL,
Jaguar X-Type: 46
Jaguar S-Type: 80

Poor guys!!!
— dwatson (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:35:58 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

That is really little more than inventory clearing.

The X-type has been removed from the market and the S-type has been replaced by the XF.
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:46:59 PM | | Votes: 10

Jag don't sell the X-Type and S-Type in the US anymore! The rest of the range are looking good.

— ubercool (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:58:39 PM | | Votes: 7

XJ, XK and XF are all fantastic, but they need a bit more depth in their lineup without resorting to another X-Type. The long-awaited small sports car, perhaps?
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:44:01 PM | | Votes: 5

I have read that there will be a small sports car, but there is some debate about where it will be positioned. I have read that it will be a Boxter competitor, but I have also read it will be a 911 competitor. If it is the former, I am sure that it will be based on the XF's chassis. If it is the latter, it will undoubtedly be based on the XK's aluminium monocoque chassis.

I am not so sure that they will be able to squeeze what they need to from the XF's chassis to effectively compete with the Boxter. In either case, it has been suggested that it would be similar in concept to the XK180.
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:57:51 PM | | Votes: 5

"...to the XK180."

Well, more often you hear the words F-type. The two are similar. Although I think I prefer the XK180 in the end, I do vascillate between liking the rear of F-type over that on the XK180.
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 2:09:40 PM | | Votes: 2

Gasp...

I just found a video. I want one...I hope what ever they are considering has D-type cues like the XK180.

http://www.tuninglinx.com/videos/car-videos/046-jaguar-xk-180.wmv
— cdoke (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 2:29:53 PM | | Votes: 3

dude what kinda sh** are u one?
— NItePhire (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 2:20:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

Lexus su--s
— bestofallcad (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 11:32:09 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: -1

I was surprised to see how much lower Audi's sales volume is from other makes.
— SixxFive (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 12:58:01 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 6

It sucks to be NO#1.
— autopro (View Profile)

Posted on 4/8/2008 7:35:49 PM | | Votes: 1

Say what you'll want, howeve why was not Cadillac's DTS included?

It did sell 3370 units last month. See Media.gm.com

So Cadillac sold 10901 sedans.

Please don't make ignorant comments about it's not a luxury please.
— mrmiami (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:02:13 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

Im seeing the new C class everywhere. Looks great. The G35 had some really good deals this month.. They were advertising 349 a month and a AWD model. The more I see the car, the more i like it.

Right now, the CTS and G35 have my pick.
— no1listensanyway (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 1:11:26 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 4

You can count me as one CTS and one STS.
— bigTYME (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 3:04:13 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

The CTS and STS are Great cars great performance. I really get sick of cadillac being stereo typed of floaty old mans car it has not been that for a long time DO YOU THINK THE HONDA ACCORD IS WOW! NOT! DO YOU THINK THE LEXUS OR TOYOTA ARE WOW THOSE CARS REALLY ARE BORING AND LOOK LIKE A GRANDMA CAR WITH NO EXCITEMENT AT ALL AND WHEN THE CADILLAC WAS THE BIG BOAT WHAT DID TOYOTA OR HONDA LOOK LIKE 70'S AND 80'S THEY WHERE small unsafe UGLY BOXES NO STYLE just okay gas milage is there any classic toyota's, honda's, out there any one would want where old cadillac's, mercedes, and american mucsle cars look at amouch people are paying for a dodge challanger over 100,000 or more do you think lexus or toyota in 50years will have that? are with style and power you cannot say that about toyota or honda
— bestofallcad (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 11:49:23 AM | | Votes: 0

The A4 only sold 700 less than the Lexus IS - that surprises me.
— Rupert (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 4:08:12 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

It usually sells much better than this anyway--when it's in its prime.
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:32:15 PM | | Votes: 3

What are the sales of the A4 compared to the IS in Europe Rupert?
— VISO (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 10:53:14 PM | | Votes: 1

Roughly 5-10 times higher, I think. That's the ratio for Audi against Lexus as a whole, anyway, and I assume it to be the same for the A4:IS.
— Rupert (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 3:51:41 PM | | Votes: 2

Good showing by Cadillac.
LS wins the Flagship race. Interesting.

Wow, a BMW328i MSRP's at 32,000 and their designated residual after a 3year lease is $22,000. No wonder they can charge only $369/month and $3250 due at signing.
The IS250 is $501/month with $4100 due at signing. Lexus doesn't post their lease/finance rates though.
These are both from the US websites.

Rupert,
The A4 competes against both the ES and IS (same class, different customer).
— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/2/2008 11:15:53 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

"LS wins the Flagship race. Interesting."

How so? It's always been that way. The LS being $30,000 less than an S550 with 2 options has something to do with it.
— S4cabriofoxone (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 1:11:53 AM | | Votes: -2

I didn't realize "Pre-Entry" level was a catagory. Perhaps next year they'll expand the categories to include "Not even f*cking close to luxury"
— sold2early (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 1:36:57 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

LOL i was thinkin the same thing
— lexusrox123 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/3/2008 1:42:21 PM | | Votes: 3

cute chart, spawned alot of emotions in these posters. useful info thx...
— DiamondJim (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 3:15:32 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

Big deal..this is for one month. Will wait for End of the Year numbers...
— Porschinator (View Profile)

Posted on 4/4/2008 5:11:43 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

I think Lexus has fallen behind a bit, usually they lead in sales volume by quite a margin in the North Amrican Market, and seeing that BMW and MB has almost caught up with Lexus even here in the US is certainly bad news for Toyota, because Lexus doesn't sell pretty much at all in Europe and is quite behind in Japan and China.

Looks like Jaguar sales are completely based on the sale of XF, almost 1100 were sold, compared to the 2000 sales of 5 series, give some more time, and XF will catch up, because really i have seen the car in person almost 4 to 5 times by now, and this car is ultra modern and suave looking, in front of it, the 5 series looks totally dated. And when people go to showroom to check out the XF, they might actually come to appreciate what they have been missing by not buying the XK and instead opting for the 6 series. Really i see good future for Jaguar.
— farabira1 (View Profile)

Posted on 4/5/2008 4:24:42 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 0

The G is doing better than I thought. Hotness!
— delan (View Profile)

Posted on 4/5/2008 7:08:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

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March 2008 Luxury Car Sales - Winners & Losers

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