Audi was one of the first luxury brand to enter China, and I believe all the euro lux brands have factories in China. Audi is the #1 lux brand because it invested early in China.

U.S. is a more mature car market and a longer history with all the brands. Eventually as the Euro brands gets older and does not perform well in terms of reliability in China, the market may change. VW group is trying to be #1 globally, I think that's a big mistake. Quality will suffer since Audi does not have a great reputation for reliability to begin with.

 

If you ask me which I personally like the most, I would rank them this way: 1st Lexus 2nd BMW 3rd Benz and 4th Audi. But if you ask me which of the four are more prestigious in the general public's eyes, I probably would rank them this way: 1st Benz 2nd BMW 3rd Lexus 4th Audi, at least in the U.S. Only the first three are considered tier 1 luxury car brands. You can tell by simply looking at their annual sales number throughout the country.

 

In before the lock :P

 

This. Lexus also finally introduced an ES 240 4 cylinder whereas the Germans have no issue slapping 4 cylinders in the 5/E/A6 etc to not get taxed.

Just think, Buick sells like hotcakes in China. I don't expect Lexus to ever be #1 in China but as long as they get a sizable chunk they will be fine. In comparison many other luxury brands struggle far more than Lexus in China.

 

I compare by car model, not by car brand.

 

On a "panache" level I'd say they are all pretty equal. I would rank Audi last as far as reliablity goes and Lexus first. As far as excitement goes Lexus would be last and BMW first followed closely by MB and then Audi.

 

Lexus is selling like hot cakes everywhere else in the world too. Even here in the Gulf they sell a lot. The world knows them for their reliability and high quality levels which is going up wards whereas year on but for the Germans and Europeans it's going in the opposite direction.

 

What can you say when an aged Mercedes S Class (W221 dated 2006) is still the best seller in its class in the US and also globally in 2010? Why E Class outsells Lexus GS almost 10 to 1 in the US? Are you sure the new Lexus GS can outsell E Class next year?

 

Audi is #1 Luxury brand in China, then Benz, BMW and Lexus last. You see more Audi/VW more than anything else.

Here, I would say Benz/BMW, and Lexus, and Audi finished last. But Audi is picking up, my friend from Audi dealership in Vegas inform me most of the models they have are needed to be ordered, most likey more than one month wait.

 

german makes have reliability issues. maintenance costs are expensive. i dont like those smug owners who believe their car is better just cuz its german made and can afford to fix the problem. a true car enthusiast can appreciate a beautiful car when they see one.

 

i'm from mainland China, the people there especially the well off ones just going to buy the brand others recommend or well known. i really doubt any of them does research of the new car model of each brand before they make the purchase, reputation is everything there. that's why i don't get it why Acura and Infiniti are selling their cars in China, no one gonna buy them, how do they gonna brag to their friends when no one has heard of these brands.

 

Instead of asking and ultimately buying a car by brand alone, why not check these cars out in person and make up your own mind on which is "better"?

 

And you all are still wondering why US is getting hit by recession ? It's these European cars maintenance that make you get broke Just kidding.

I have no answer to that. But I think it has more to do with the brand image. I think Lexus LS is way better than an S class in every department except for its image.