spwolf

not sure if they will give 5k in incentives for new 3 series though... december lexus sold already close to both of them, with a lot of new models coming soon. question is availability of those new models, with current inventories being low.

i use cars.com for checking inventory, you can compare the three:
bmw 30k cars
mb 24k cars
lexus 14k cars

it is certainly not correct but you can use it to check the differences... they are low on supply currently.

but wit lexus giving out on average 2.5k less than bmw in incentives, i dont think they care that much if they are close 2nd.

scgt652

Toyota's Japan production returned to normal in early December. So Lexus inventories will improve very soon.

BCRCornet

Data for luxury brand auto sales in Canada for year-end 2011, extracted from this article.
Source: Desrosiers & Automotive News Data Center, and GoodCarBadCar.net

BCRCornet

Data for luxury and near-luxury/premium brand auto sales in Canada for December 2011, extracted from this article.
Source: Desrosiers & Automotive News Data Center, and GoodCarBadCar.net

LexFather

Thanks for the Canadian results!

spwolf

soon is probably 2 months :-). And plus, what is going to happen with hybrids? In big demand right now, CTh, Prius, etc... Prius Aqua (c) in Japan currently has 4 month waiting list. 7 seater Prius v now has 9 month waiting list.

scgt652

I wonder if the floods are the reason why the '12 Prius hatch is not on sale in the US yet. Although there does seem to be an ample supply of '12 Prius v wagons. So it might simply be that Toyota was devoting more of their recent production to wagons.

ydooby

Looks like Toyota is insisting on positioning the LC straight against the LX with a whopping $8,835 (12.8%) increase in MSRP for MY2012, bumping it from $69,120 to $75,955. Why they want to keep selling it as if it were a Lexus is beyond me. Yes I know the LC is worth the asking price for what it is, but so is the $79,455 LX, so why let them compete so directly? Give the LC less standard equipment, drop a V6 and sell it for no more than $55k and they'll have real business from the offroading communities while the LX gets business from the Costco shoppers.
http://pressroom.toyota.com/releases...nd+cruiser.htm

spwolf

i bet if they sold it for $20k they would sell a ton of those... but they cant... and they cant sell it at 55k as it is 75k car. All LC's on the lot were already 78k. All LXs are 89k.

I would personally spend 11k extra for LX.

ydooby

What? I said reduce the standard equipment and drop a V6, like they do in many other markets! That makes the "75k" car a 55k car. Not hard to understand is it?

Like you said yourself, at this price level even you would simply opt for the LX instead, rendering the LC utterly pointless.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

U.S. alt-fuel vehicle sales for December showed mixed results relative to a year earlier, as gains by Toyota and Nissan were offset by lagging sales from Honda and Ford. For the year, hybrid vehicle sales by Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda were hampered by supply issues stemming from the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan last March, which also likely pulled down overall 2011 numbers.

Toyota Motor Co., the world's largest maker of hybrids, sold 23,172 Toyota and Lexus hybrids in December, up 13 percent from a year earlier. Toyota Prius sales were up 8.7 percent, while the launch of the redesigned Toyota Camry Hybrid pushed that model's sales up 46 percent. Toyota also benefited from last year's debut of the Lexus CT 200h hatchback, which added 2,259 vehicle sales last month.

December alt-fuel sales also benefited from more demand for battery-electric and extended-range plug-in vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and General Motors' Chevrolet Volt, both of which debuted with relatively small numbers in December 2010. A year later, GM sold a monthly record 1,529 Volts, up from 326 a year earlier, while Nissan sold 954 Leafs, up from just 19 vehicles 12 months prior. And Mitsubishi marked its first full month of sales for its i electric vehicle with 76 vehicles sold.

Such gains were offset by lagging hybrid sales from Honda and Ford. Honda's hybrid sales in December plunged 47 percent from a year earlier to 1,819 vehicles, as all three of Honda's hybrids – the Civic Hybrid, the CR-Z and the Insight – had year-over-year sales declines of at least 36 percent. Insight sales were down 58 percent.

Meanwhile, Ford, which has been pushing its gas-powered vehicles that get at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway, also had December sales declines for its hybrids. Ford Fusion Hybrid sales dropped 40 percent and more than offset higher sales by the Ford Escape and Lincoln MKZ Hybrids. Overall, the U.S. automaker's hybrid sales fell 24 percent from a year earlier to 2,402 vehicles.

Adding slightly to the December alt-fuel total was Volkswagen, which sold 5,980 diesel-powered vehicles, up 14 percent from a year earlier.

For the year, Toyota failed to close the gap caused by its mid-year supply issues and ended 2011 down in hybrid vehicle sales. The company's hybrid sales totaled 178,587 vehicles, down 5.6 percent from 2010. The Prius, which accounted for more than three-quarters of Toyota's hybrid sales, moved 136,433 vehicles, down 3.2 percent, while all of the Lexus hybrid models that debuted before 2011 had lower sales last year. For the year, the Camry and Highlander Hybrid sales were each down more than 35 percent.

Meanwhile, Honda's hybrid sales fell 5.9 percent last year to 31,584 vehicles, as higher CR-Z sales – the sport coupe debuted in mid-2010 – were offset last year by a 26-percent plunge in Insight sales and a 36 percent drop in Civic Hybrid sales.

Ford finished 2011 up – albeit slightly – in hybrid vehicle sales. The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, which debuted in September 2010, quadrupled its sales to 5,739 vehicles and more than offset the effect of declining sales for both the Ford Escape and Fusion Hybrids. Overall, Ford's hybrid sales last year rose 1.4 percent to 27,114 vehicles.

Finally, Nissan sold 9,674 Leafs, finishing just 326 vehicles short of its goal to sell 10,000 of the battery-electric vehicles during the model's first full year in the U.S. Additionally, for the year, GM sold 7,671 Volts.

BRAND/COMPANY Vol% Dec. 2011 Dec. 2010 Vol% 2011 2010
American Honda
Honda Civic Hybrid -37.64% 565 906 -35.89% 4703 7336
Honda CR-Z -35.62% 564 876 115.85% 11330 5249
Honda FCX Clarity -100.00% 0 3 -88.24% 2 17
Honda Insight -57.85% 690 1637 -25.82% 15549 20962
AMERICAN HONDA TOTAL -46.84% 1819 3422 -5.90% 31584 33564

Audi
A3 TDI na na 3.82% 3609 3476
Q7 TDI na na 7.57% 3689 3430

Ford Motor Co.
Ford Escape Hybrid 23.15% 1080 877 -9.77% 10089 11182
Ford Fusion Hybrid -40.32% 888 1488 -6.51% 11286 12072
Lincoln MKZ 2.36% 434 424 381.46% 5739 1192
FORD MOTOR TOTAL -13.88% 2402 2789 10.91% 27114 24446

General Motors
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Hybrid/GMC Sierra 1500 Hybrid 29.75% 205 158 -51.32% 1165 2393
Chevrolet Volt 369.02% 1529 326 2253.07% 7671 326

Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi i na 76 0 na 80 0

Nissan North America
Nissan Leaf 4921.05% 954 19 50815.79% 9674 19

Toyota Motor Co.
Lexus CT 200h na 2259 0 na 14381 0
Lexus GS 450h 10.00% 33 30 -7.54% 282 305
Lexus HS 250h -75.56% 274 1121 -73.14% 2864 10663
Lexus LS 600h L -47.06% 9 17 -34.88% 84 129
Lexus RX 450h -19.67% 1233 1535 -29.08% 10723 15119
Toyota Camry Hybrid 45.98% 1797 1231 -36.65% 9241 14587
Toyota Highlander Hybrid -40.67% 563 949 -38.66% 4549 7416
Toyota Prius 8.73% 17004 15639 -3.17% 136463 140928
TOYOTA MOTOR TOTAL 12.90% 23172 20524 -5.58% 178587 189147

Volkswagen
Volkswagen Diesels (Jetta, Golf, etc.) na na

http://green.autoblog.com/2012/01/06...ups-and-downs/

spwolf

in most markets they dont do it... and difference in price is very small. you wouldnt lose 20k in price, more like 5k, which is why everyone got the top end version in the past.

GS69

Toyota Targets Lexus Sales @ Pre-Crisis Level

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said on Thursday it aims to boost worldwide sales of its Lexus luxury cars by about a quarter to 500,000-510,000 vehicles this year, bringing them back to levels before the global financial crisis hammered demand.

Lexus lost its crown as the top luxury brand in the United States for the 1st time in 12 years in 2011, ceding the spot to BMW AG (BMWG.DE) as Toyota suffered lost production after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

But Toyota's 23-year-old premium marque has also struggled because of its weak image in Europe and Japan, where German giants BMW, Mercedes-Benz (DAIGn.DE) and Audi (NSUG.DE) dominate.

To change that, Lexus has adopted a new look to give all future models a front grille in the shape of a spindle, including the remodeled GS sedan launched in Japan on Thursday.

"Our competitors -- Mercedes, BMW and Audi -- are all instantly recognizable on the road," Kiyotaka Ise, chief officer of the Lexus group, told reporters at the GS's unveiling in Tokyo. "That's what we're going for."

The Lexus target comes after Toyota lifted its 2012 overall domestic sales forecast on Wednesday to 1.63 million vehicles, up 6.5% from its previous forecast and 36 percent higher than 2011. It now expects global sales to rise 21% to 8.58 million vehicles.

In the luxury car market, competition for the Lexus is set to intensify with Nissan Motor Co's (7201.T) Infiniti and Honda Motor Co's (7267.T) Acura also the subject of stepping up efforts to become global brands.

Ise's deputy, Kazuo Ohara, said Lexus would step up marketing activities to raise its profile as a technologically advanced nameplate in Japan, where consumers largely equate luxury and status with traditional European brands.

The GS sedan will start at 5.1 million yen ($65,200) in Japan for the 2.5-litre, rear-wheel-drive version, while the top-of-the-line GS450h hybrid version will start at 7.0 million yen. Toyota has set a monthly sales target of 600 GS sedans in Japan.

Ohara said he expected overall Lexus sales in Japan to be only slightly higher than last year's 42,365 vehicles.

BMW sold 34,195 vehicles in Japan in 2011, while Mercedes sold 33,207 and Audi 21,166.

Globally, Lexus sold 404,000 vehicles last year, down from a peak of 518,000 in 2007.

spwolf

40% difference for GS450h in Japan... Hopefully it wont start at $60k+ in USA.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

that sounds like a lot.