BMW Outperforms Lexus for Second Time in Three Months
Jul 18, 2008
Based on total U.S. sales BMW outsold Lexus in both April and June, following 23 consecutive months in which Lexus held the No. 1 sales position among luxury brands, according to the Power Information Network.
For the first six months of the year, though, Lexus still held the lead by 5,198 units.
BMW’s June sales reached 20,944 units, while Lexus posted sales of 20,253 units. However, Lexus’s year-to-date sales in June BMW’s year-to-date sales in June totaled 131,513 units, while Lexus posted year-to-date sales of 136,711.
The two luxury brands compete directly in four segments, and in June Lexus outperformed BMW in three of them: midsize luxury car, large luxury car and midsize luxury crossover. In the fourth segment of small luxury car, BMW’s lead with the 3 Series was not large enough to offset Lexus’s superiority in the other three segments. However, BMW had a major advantage in June in the segments where only one of the two brands competes. BMW sold 4,155 new vehicles in segments where Lexus does not have an entry, while Lexus delivered only 1,645 units in segments where BMW is absent. BMW’s smaller models, including the 1 Series and X3, performed well in June, and Lexus has no direct competitors for these products.
Mercedes Benz is still the luxo king. Volume of sales means diddly squat when it comes to luxory. That’s like saying the M3 is better than a Maclaren F1 because they sell more.
Well then either BMW has a better marketing team or just provides a better car for the money or they would not be selling more than Benz. Or I can throw the efficient market hypothesis out the window. No doubt the SL black edition is better than a M6, but that really is not really the right comparison to make.
I have driven many Benz E’s & S’s and BMWs 5’s & 7’s and a few older 3’s (and no I’m not a valet). I felt the BMW was more of a driver’s car in handling and ride quality. I almost bought a clk 55 amg, but owning one outside the warranty scared me.
The article is saying who sells more cars not which one makes the best cars.
That would be like saying GM made the best cars in the 70’s and 80’s because they sold the most.