Sports Luxury Sedan Sales (November)

The entry-level luxury sedan market is the mark of brand vitality. Lexus is last.

Without RX SUV sales to pad the figures, Lexus is nowhere. This just proves it.

The ES is not a SPORT luxury sedan. Read the table. You are so reaching!

Audiot the Lexus RX came out in the late 90's,yet the entire Lexus brand was still selling well in the early and mid 90's,The RX is not reponsible for the success of Lexus,but it did help it!!!

Does it really matter? BMW is crushing Lexus and all other brands (except Mercedes in the mid size sedan) category, including your belovid Lexus.

Ha! The A4, which is the second best-seller, has only half of what the 3 Series has in sales!

Nice # 2 spot for the A4. A6 sales used to be @ about 1,650 before the Q7 went on sale. Acura RL really struggling.

true.

lexus has a unique strategy in "straddling" this segment. they can optimize BOTH models.

not EVERY buyer of these cars aspires to be a boyracer.

or the V6 GS.

But sadly for Lexus, the IS isn't sporty. The ES and IS are too close, yet far enough away so that they won't be cross-shopped.

There's something Lexus fans simply don't get. There is a HUGE difference between a car being FAST and a car being SPORTY. The IS is fast, but the 3 Series offers an ideal balance between a perfect driving experience and a comfortable ride, and the IS simply can't match that.

The Q7 is definitely cannibalizing A6 sales. When the new A5 and TT come out, increased showroom traffic will boost A6 sales.

How is the Q7 cannibalizing A6 sales?

SUV vs Sedan...

The ES doesn't belong on these lists.

Then neither does the TL, and one could make the case that the C-Class is more comparable to an ES than a 3 or IS.

No, the C is sporty, it's just not very class-competitive. I'd say its main competitor is the IS. They both put an emphasis on luxury.

Anyone else think the Audi A6 is in some serious trouble?

It seems like the last generation was SO popular, but this version doesnt seem to be on that level.

Anyone else think so?

Like I said, the A6 sold @ around 1,650 or even more per month before the Q7 went on sale. The Q7 and A6 are proced very similarly, and American will pick the Q7 SUV over the A6 sedan. So the Q7 has taken A6 sales away.

Q7 sales aside, I feel like the current A6 just isnt as edgy and teutonic as the last model. It's design was ahead of its time when it was released and stayed fresh for almost its entire run. While I like the new S6 and think the RS will probably be fantastic, I feel like the standard A6 could use some work. It just doesnt do it for me like the old model did.

Not bashing Audi in the slightest, just kinda puzzled at the current A6 standings. I do not think this car is performing as it should and Audi needs to address it.

They will for 2008. Look for the standard body to become the S-line version. Same thing for the A4. They should arrive in showrooms in July of 2007 as 2008 models.

Yeah, I feel the same way. The last A6 was gorgeous. The new one (even the S6 version) just looks bland and doesn't stand out. In fact, I found it very difficult to distinguish the V-10 monster from the V6. What were they thinking?

I miss the wide-@ss fenders on the 4.2. The A8 still looks awesome and I like the new TT and A3, but the new A4 and A6 scream, "boring." I talked to an Audi salesman who also repeated what Neverfollow said - they're working on it for the new model year.

Lastly, I think the Q7 looks almost as ugly as the Cayenne. Neither has the nice lines of the Tuareg. How did that happen?

I'm sure Audi is quite pleased that the A6 is the #1 selling car in its class world wide. Stateside, the A6 sales will increase when Audi begins its media push.

How does Mercedes manage to sell it's incredibly outdated C? It's

..Seven Years Old!!
Must be some giant rebates....

A6 and RL need some help...

The revised C-Class is actually a pretty damn fine car. I never much liked the C-Class but I was given a new C230 CDI I think it was in Europe as a rental and boy, MB sure did a great job reworking that car.

I think people are not respecting the C-Class because the original current C-Class was so poorly executed. I still don't like the car much, but I have to defend it and give credit where credit is due. It's now a superior and competitive car.

Looks like the next generation C-Class will be something really awesome.

I owned a C280 once. It was a lemon.

The C-refresh went totally unnoticed. What changed?

The headlights.

Oh, and I think they made the E-Class's crappy COMAND system an option.

I own a C230 V6, and it is currently one of the best cars I have ever owned. Sporty? Yes. Comfortable? Yes. Reliable? Yes (so far). I am a happy MB owner.

I've driven the C Class before the refresh and I was shocked. The car was a joke. Uncompetitive if you ask me. Then came the refresh. It took awhile, but I decided to give the refreshed C Class a chance - and came away impressed. So impressed, I ordered it over the BMW 325i, Lexus IS250 and the Saab 9-3.

For one, the steering is more direct. The suspension is sportier (yet still comfortable) and the engines gained more power and refinement. There are also a bunch of changes, but I listed the major ones.

COMAND is not "crappy". I've never had any problems with it. I find it straightforward, user-friendly and it gets me from A to B when I ask it to.

You didn't test drive the A4 2.0T- THAT'S WHY!

Just kidding...

Oh and yes, COMAND is crappy, for sure. I've driven two E350 4Matics with my wife, both with the incredibly, needlessly complex COMAND system. It's horrible! There's two flimsy knobby things that you twist and turn every which way, and it just makes no sense at all! They need to put the S-Class's COMAND VIIIVIX system on all of their models- it's much better! iDrive, MMI, the new COMAND- all much better!

I owned an Audi A4 1.8T before the C230. Got rid of it after I got slammed in the rear by an SUV (woman on her cellphone).