What surprised me in the hybrid numbers is the Altima.

"Altima hybrid sales more than tripled in August - to 3,164 from 1,030 in July - and were more than seven times the 442 sales posted in August '08."

What caused the big upsurge in Altima Hybrid sales? To me the Fusion and Camry Hybrids are superior products and both of those took a small drop month-to-month. I know Ford has a supply issue with its Fusion in general. I read somewhere Ford inventory overall was at around a 30 day supply which is quite low.

 

Camry - 238,612


Kia - 216,947
Jeep - 164,765
Mazda - 145,955
Suburu - 143,828
VW - 142,421
Pontiac – 140,739
Lexus- 131,469
BMW- 129,176
Chrysler- 124,488
Mercedes- 118,428
Acura- 69,369
Mercury -63,805
Buick- 62,934
Cadillac- 61,685
Saturn - 57,223
Infiniti- 53,276
Lincoln- 53,256
Audi- 52,309[
Volvo- 42,013
Porsche -12,729
Saab - 6,444


Remarkable. And it's 3 years old.

 

not really - kind of a pointless comparison. i don't really see the point in comparing camry sales to saab for example. it also outsells bentley, rolls royce, ferrari, maserati, tesler, spyker, lotus, and many other brands too.

and the f-150 outsells 'em all.

 

They must have offered some kind of incentive. I wouldn't have even thought they had that many as I was under the impression that the Altima hybrid was pretty limited.

 

Did everyone forget about the hype about BMW is going to take over the number 1 luxury sales crown from Lexus?

Umm...

BMW 129,176
Lexus 131,469
Mercedes 118,428

 

I slept through the hype or like most just didn't care. Was BMW hyping it?

 

They still are hyping it, it's on LLN, MotorAuthority, etc. They are 'breathing down Lexus' neck' etc. and expect a 'strong 4th quarter' - and hope to take the lead then.

It's going to be a photo finish for sure. MotorAuthority wonders whether the customers who were delaying purchases in the recession, which seemed to affect Lexus the most, will come back since the economy appears to be stablizing/signs of improvement.

http://www.motorauthority.com/blog/1...-s-sales-crown

 

Not a chance...

I am going to call it with 4 more months to go: Lexus will remain as the number 1 luxury selling brand in the US for 2009.

With the HS250h coming and "the event" in December I just don't see how BMW can retake the lead after losing it in August.

 

I've always wondered this...Infiniti has better designs then Acura w/ equal reliability. However, month after month Acura sales are 2000 to 4000 more even though the prices are almost identical with TL and TSX = to the G, RDX to EX, MDX to FX and M to RL....in addition, Infiniti has more incentives usually along with better financing options. Why does Acura sell so much more then?

 

I know, but it sounds cool.

I was just having a little fun but it's still interesting to see an aging car sell 41% more than an entire brand such as VW while being Europe's best selling brand.

 

One big reason is that Acura has the entry level TSX. Infiniti doesn't have a volume car that starts under 30K and probably never will.

 

Outside the G37, there is no volume vehicle and everything outside the M/G has failed. The EX and FX are very new, redesigned last year and they are complete misses both selling under 1k units a month. The G37 accounts for what 60-65% of sales? Even with a greatly improved lineup, I find the marketing to continue to be a miss. Infiniti even in good times still has lower sales goals than Acura. They are NOT going to sell better.

The other part is Honda buyers are very very loyal, they will look past the continued ugly looks, and averageness for other merits. There are more Honda buyers ready to move into an Acura than seemingly Nissan buyers ready to move up to an Infiniti.

Finally Acura's have aggressive leases and deals too. You can get a new TL SH-AWD tech for 37-38k. TSXs for invoice. Though historically Infiniti has maybe the most aggressive lease and APR rates with BMW.

Infiniti's cost more and are more truly luxury. The EX starts more than the RDX. The FX 50 costs way more than a MDX with options. The M45 costs way more than a RL. The QX MSRP is way higher than a MDX. The G37 and TL are pretty even.
Speedflex also has a good point that they have the pre entry level TSX and Infiniti doesn't have that.

It is quite a feat that Acura with only 3 sedans, 1 that is a complete failure (RL) and 2 SUVs, the RDX (failure) and MDX and is 4th in sales.

 

different consumer priorities.

acura has always marketed itself as a safe car with practicality. 5 star crash tests, etc etc.

infiniti has always emphasized sportiness over anything else. just look at each company's commercials.

i think that most people don't care about sport or looks, and just want an all around practical car.

The TL has always been larger than the G35, for a similar price. That's a good reason to buy the TL.

 

Next time around Infiniti should offer a G30 or G35 below the 37, for a cheaper price. They really need to diversify their portfolio where it's the strongest, and that is obviously the G. A hybrid would be great too.

 

Also, for better or worse, Nissan has the Maxima which, especially now, has to be stealing sales from the G. It's a very attractive car and has almost the same level of premium quality and makes it very tempting for those considering a G. Unless I absolutely insisted on RWD or the upgraded customer experience of going up to Infiniti, I know I'd have a hard time choosing between the two.

Honda doesn't have that kind of overlap with Acura since the Accord is the top line sedan and has it's own following.