AUTO SPIES EXCLUSIVE: Lexus IS sales starting to be a thorn in the side for the BMW 3-series?

68% new to the Lexus brand. Interesting...do they consider going from a Toyota to a Lexus new to the brand?

Of the 68% new to the brand, how many switched from Acura and Infiniti. Probably more Japanese to Japanese conversions then there are German to Japanese. It would be interesting to see the numbers.

Actually, IS started sales in Oct... In Feb, they still had only 11 day supply. They sell every one they make, at 4,000 per month.

Considering Lexus is #1 Luxury brand in the USA, its customers have to come from somewhere :-).

30% of all IS's are IS350's. Lexus has originally planned to do 25%, but had to up it due to demand.

Must be all those 330i drivers, tired of getting smoked :-).

Why do people keep saying the 3-series engines aren't new...the '06 325i has 215 hp vs 184 in the 05 (plus half a liter more displacement) and the 06 330i has 255 vs. 225 in the 05 Plus the 335 turbo will have 302...

Lexus still has not been able to capture what German cars have always had....a personality. Some call it soul. Lexus products still scream "TOYOTA". Just look at the details...the cruise control on the steering wheel is the same as on a Toyota Tundra. Much of the other switch gear is also lifted directly from Toyota.

While MB has a relatively aged product (the C class) and while other manufacturers such as Infiniti, Acura, Lincoln and Cadillac have little to offer thats new in the emerging sports luxury market there's plenty of room for both BMW and Lexus. I can imagine a situation where BMW sales of 3 series can go 20-30% higher even with Lexus selling 4,000 a month. How well the this segment of the market is growing.

I have an different view of the competition between Lexus and BMW. I think that once BMW starts making externally attractive SUVs, BMW will eat the lunch from the Lexus RX. I think the RX has peaked.

For those who are Lexus haters, just remember the next time you see a BMW 3 series it was probably leased and at a cheap rate made possible by the competition that Lexus is providing.

I don't understand why there are so many Lexus haters here. Everyone says that Lexus is just a luxurious Toyota. Audi is just a luxurious VW. Yes, Audi's are built off of VW platforms. That VW Toureg is also the Porsche Cayenne, and it is also the soon to be released Q7. That A3 is a VW Golf. The Germans are so original aren’t they? Doesn’t MB and Chrysler share some parts in some of their cars. And BMW, they are not the most reliable cars. I think all these luxury car manufacturers make nice cars and I do like some of the BMW and MB designs but I think that Lexus is still the most reliable car today and with the new designs coming out from Lexus, I don’t see why Lexus can’t overtake BMW in sales worldwide.

No, I don't consider Lamborgini a rebadged VW nor do I consider Bugatti a one either. But as you stated these lux car makers do share parts and platforms for some of their cars. You are right it's business, but some of you make it sound as if all of Lexus's cars are rebaged Toyotas and all German cars are so original. The GS, IS, LS, and SC are all Lexus exclusive platforms globally now since Lexus has now gone global with the brand. Those models share no parts with Toyota. I am not bias against Germans cars because I do like certain models but give Lexus credit where credit is due.

This is for all of you BMW, MB, Audi / German car fans. If the German auto makers built such great cars, tell me how many models from 1990 to the present are still on the road? Lexus was launch as a 1990 model and 90% of the original ls 400's are still on the road running on the original engines and transmissions.

If performance is such a great factor in the decision making process why are the German auto maufacturers lossing so much ground.

I can answer that with a simple statement. The germans innovate but never perfect anything. They said that Lexus couldn't build a good performance car.

Have you heard of the LFA? My friends get off of your stupid juice and smell the coffee, because the Japanese are coming and there coming hard. Don't think that R&D is not alive and well at Lexus, because you'd truly be fooling yourself.

Within the next ten years, Lexus will do something that no other auto make has been able to do in such a short time period. They will dominate in quality, performance, innovation, and styling.

It's fools like you as well as the German auto makers that said that Lexus couldn't produce a good performance car. Wait until they roll out the LFA, the IS M series killer and other high performance cars that are being tested behind the seens, oh by the way, Lexus is using the germans own test track facilities to prove there case to the Germans.

That's pretty amazing when you use your competitions own test facilities to demonstrate in their own house what's coming. If you don't thinks that the Japanese won't succeed in their quest to dominate the world auto market, you're all still living on what has been.

Like consumer electronics, semi-conductor equipment and many other major industries throughout the world, they have come up from the ashes and dominated almost every major industry in the world.

The auto market is next. So all of you Lexus fans listen up, you don't need to try to convince fools to see things your way. Just sit back let them talk because that's all they have left.

Trying to defend a substandard with their ignorant claims just shows how stupid some people are when making financial decisions.

How many of you would take your hard earned money and throw it down the toilet? I'm sure not many. But for those so called German car fans, shut the hell up because you sound so stupid when you defend current model cars that you won't even see on the road five years from now.

Oh, that's because they'll either be sitting on car lots in all major cities in the country, or they'll be pounded into scrap metal because nobody wants to buy a piece of junk that's going to cost their life savings to maintain.

My advice is to leave these fools alone a sit back and watch the show. For us it will be oh so sweet!!! But for you German auto losers, don't say we didn't tell you so. Oh one last thing, did all of you here that MB is coming out with a hybrid? According to the experts, it more of a low bred piece of