Bmw unlikely to grab the U.S. luxury crown this year from Lexus

As you may know already, Bmw trailed Lexus as the No.2 U.S. luxury brand for the past decade and it appears that the German manufacturer will fail again to grab the crown in 2010, despite the Lexus recall crisis.

According to Bmw global sales chief Ian Robertson, the sales of the brand will be uppressed this year by the wind down of the old 5 Series and the introduction of the new one. “Effectively, we’ve run out our existing 5 Series and won’t launch our new 5 Series until June,” Robertson said at the Beijing auto show. “So a full-year effect won’t be felt.” For those who don’t know, the sales of the 5-Series represent approximately 25% of Bmw’s volume in the United States. “We still see we will have some growth this year, but it’s a few digit points,” Robertson said.
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AgentOrange - 4/26/2010 8:50:49 AM

+6 Boost

Too many over 65ers..

WorldofLuxury - 4/26/2010 10:19:15 AM

0 Boost

aha It really doesn't make sense though. Could it be that teens have parents who naturally feel that Lexus models are better priced while being less ostentatious, so they automatically say no to the German brands?

I've already seen quite a few teens in my city with parents who were buying them the HS instead of the IS.

2ndbimmer - 4/26/2010 11:14:17 AM

+9 Boost

I feel bad for those kids getting an HS. What a boring car for a teen! Get them a wrangler or an 3.5 altime coupe. Something with some sort of excitement.

0to60 - 4/26/2010 2:33:53 PM

+1 Boost

2ndbimmer, have you ever driven an HS? I drove one and it was interesting. Not the best looking ride, but the drive was not actually that bad. Now the altima 3.5 isnt heavy enough for the amount of power it has. Steering is somewhat out of control on that vehicle. I would not recommend that for a teen. And accord coupe would be a better option. Havent drivin the redesigned Altima, so maybe they have addressed the issue. The rental I had (previous generation) was ver flembsy*.

2ndbimmer - 4/26/2010 11:15:16 AM

+8 Boost

who cares about the overall sales numbers. Lexus sells cheap cars because they are cheap. Its all about price point.

sstainba - 4/26/2010 1:30:14 PM

+6 Boost

i wonder how many cars lexus would have sold had it told people the truth about their safety.

CarCrazedinCali - 4/26/2010 6:13:58 PM

+1 Boost

wonder why more of them Lexus buyers don't buy the ML over the RX, the BMW I assume is too sporty for those buyers, guess there isn't much competition out there that offers a soft car like SUV that carries people in reasonable comfort- or is it just a matter of monkey see monkey do... Lexus=boring to me

Lexxxus - 4/26/2010 11:32:26 PM

0 Boost

The BMW is the opposite extreme of the Lexus RX's comfort-oriented ride and drive. The reason I hear most in the case of ML vs RX is something to the effect of "the interior materials of the ML do not compare to the quality of the interior materials used in the RX". I was only in a current body ML350 once and have to say, the plastics in certain places were extremely cheap, but the awful rock n' roll in the ride was enough to make me prefer a ride in a Camry-based CUV.

Type707 - 4/28/2010 11:34:22 PM

+1 Boost

I disagree with Lexus having the Luxury Crown. I think BMW is far more superior than the Lexus.