Back around 2003 or so, many an Automotive News article referred to the fact that, in the United States, the BMW 3-Series outsold the Lexus IS by a 7-to-1 margin. Later articles, written at the tail end of 1st-generation IS production, had this ratio at 10-to-1 in favor of the BMW.
Coincidentally, the 2nd-generation Lexus IS and the latest iteration of the BMW 3-Series, the E90, debuted simultaneously at the Geneva Auto Show in March 2005. The E90 3-Series went on sale first, however. A couple of months later, the new Lexus IS arrived in showrooms. Soon, reports of huge sales increases for the 2nd-generation IS, approaching the 1000% mark, started appearing every month in the Lexus Pressroom. And, most significantly, The Detroit News officially proclaimed the Lexus IS "the hottest car on the market" as reported in a story from the my.IS archives. So, has the Lexus IS reached sales parity with, if not surpassed, the BMW 3-Series?
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