Lexus SUVs Record Best May Sales in Company History
A focus on revamping and expanding its SUV lineup appears to already be paying off big for Lexus.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock in recent years, you already know that SUVs are America’s new preferred method of transportation. Which has been a bit of a good thing and a bad thing for automakers. Good because SUVs are generally more profitable to sell than passenger cars. Bad because they just can’t seem to build enough of them. But as Lexus has continued to expand its lineup, the results of that labor are clearly paying off.
To the point where the luxury automaker posted its best-ever SUV sales in the month of May. It’s quite an achievement, but will probably represent just the start of what promises to be a long running streak. Well, unless the years-old trend unexpectedly ends, or higher gas prices derail it. Otherwise, things only figure to improve for Lexus as it fills out its lineup with a host of new and refreshed product.
May saw a 6.8% increase for the brand’s overall SUV sales versus a marginal 0.1% decrease overall. Leading the way was the compact NX, which sold a record 4,975 units last month. The NX Hybrid had an even stronger showing, posting a stout 221.4% sales increase over last year. The mid-size RX continued its hot streak as well, moving 9,697 units.
Things weren’t all bad for Lexus passenger cars, however. The all-new LS flagship sold 908 units, an increase of 186.4% over last year. It’s an impressive feat in today’s world, albeit one accomplished by an impressive car. Perhaps the full-size luxury sedan isn’t dead just yet?
It’ll be interesting to see how the all-new ES affects overall car sales as well. We’re guessing that Lexus will be one of the few automakers not weighted down by declining passenger car sales, if nothing else. But in the meantime, a fresh lineup of SUVs should help right the ship moving forward.
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