Looks like bmw slightly outsold mercedes this month, each at 27K sales. Lexus a bit behind at 24.5K.
Audi shipping over 800 e-trons has got to hurt Tesla.

 

Mercedes USA sold 500 AMG GT’s in May That’s 3 straight months of huge increases over same period last year ...

 

I wouldnt call 3000 units a bit behind. That's more than 10% behind!

 

It's very good for Kia, huge volume for the brand just a few months into its launch. Nearly as much as the Ascent and Atlas. I wouldn't be surprised if the Telluride could have a stronger relative market share (for the brand) in what is now one of the largest segments in the industry.

Highlander is one of the top selling in the segment with nearly 20K per month (visible if you just scroll through this thread). Pilot sold 12K. Ford (competitor would be the Explorer, not the Edge) and GM don't give monthly results anymore. Just quarterly.

 

That is insane for such an expensive, niche vehicle.

 

Absolutely magnificent how BMW and MB kill Japanese brands in their own favorite game, compact SUV. Both X3 and GLC are well over 6,000 units only to be trailed by another German manufacturer Audi in mid 5,000. Acura is the only Japanese that's saving the grace with over 5,000 RDX units sold

 

The GS's days are numbered. I know this has been talked about but it looks all but guaranteed now. The ES has gone upmarket enough to cover both ES/GS market. Sure, the GS was always the sportier sedan but the demand is long gone for it. Even if Lexus were to bring an all new GS, I don't think it would be enough.

LS down 50% so early in its life is alarming. Looks to be a misstep by Lexus. Two or three main reasons: no V8, overdone styling for a traditionally conservative customer base, and smallish back seat for a full size luxury sedan. These sales numbers are a bigger problem than just a general sedan problem.

 

I agree. To me, it looks like the public has thorough rejected the sportifying of Lexus sedans.

 

I drove a base model LS500 this past weekend and I still can’t get over how HUGE of a departure it is from what Lexus LS should be.

I drove it in Sport+ mode. It drives like a 5series to me - stable, sporty, firm steering, feel road bumps.
Interior is very high quality even in this base trim.
Front headroom is horrendous, makes you feel claustrophobic, greatly reduces visibility imo.
Rear legroom is a joke.
I’m not sure who green lighted this car but hopefully they were dealt with.

 

A short insecure person?

 

It's sad to see Lexus sedans plummet as a whole in sales and to a lesser degree, the Lexus SUVs/CUVs too. Part of the decline in overall sales is of course the shifting towards CUVs, but the elephant in the room to me is that Lexus/Toyota is too slow on the release of new powertrains/PHEV/EV and user-integrated tech that competitors and mainstream vehicles offer. I think Android Auto and the touch-screen in the new RX is a step forward, but not enough.

 

Honestly, I think the grill is still a sales killer. Still too much for a lot of buyers. Especially considering Lexus buyers as a whole have always been an older group and Lexus chose to go with a dramatic front end when Lexus grew as a sedate conservative design.

Same with Toyota's. I guarantee sales would be even higher if not for the gaping holes on today's lineup. I see the comments online everywhere about people saying they'd buy if not for the oversized grills.

 

well, it's easy to forget how many camrys they still sell, and the rx sells very well of course, but i agree that the huge grilles are a factor in turning off many potential customers. but i think the bigger problem is just not keeping up with the times... old engines, old chassis, old body designs, old inside tech, ... the gx is a sad dinosaur at this point, sure there are thousands of customers still buying new ones and that's very profitable, but there's an opportunity cost and damage to the overall reputation by keeping ancient products in the line-up.

the gs is a very nice sedan but where the updates to it? toyota maybe thinks it's not worth it because it sells in small numbers but it's a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you don't continue to invest, sales will taper off. they resurrected the gx from the dead by offering a no frills version because some consumers were attracted to this unique old tank but that can only take you so far. the IS is looking very old these days to me and doesn't stand a chance against mercedes, audi, bmw, genesis g70, etc. the ux though is competitive it seems and is doing ok.

 

I'm in the minority but the grille is a major turn off for me. The tech blows too. I've more than a couple of Lexus models. No more for me.
I know a couple of others here that feel the same.

 

The Model 3 continues to the sales leader in the compact luxury sedan segment (14k in May and 46k YTD). The closest competitor was the 3 Series (4k in May and 16k YTD).

Even the Model S sold well in the large luxury sedan segment (1k in May and 6k YTD). The 7 Series took the sales win last month (1k in May and 4k YTD). S-Class was close with nearly 1k sales in May (5k YTD). The sportier design alternatives in the segment trailed significantly with the Panamera edging the LS with 521 sales in May (3k YTD) and the LS with 462 sales in May (2k YTD). Meanwhile the A8 and G90 or what a lot of people would have wanted Lexus to have built the current LS to be like did even worse in sales. 190 sales in May and 1k YTD for the A8 and 158 sales in May and 777 sales YTD for the G90.

Nobody buying the GS sucks (for me since I would like a next generation GS). If Tesla released a midsize luxury sedan/fastback/sportback though... But sadly the only time Lexus leads in the sedan sales segment is with its ES. It continues to have better sales than the German alternatives. Hopefully they go the A6 route next generation and add AWD.

The suv/crossover alternatives of these luxury sedans are doing so much better in sales. Lexus is going to invest and re-fresh the LX more often than the LS at this point. Actually they had that weird suv concept last year so... Yikes.