SeCsTaC

March 2007 sales...


GS 300 1,908
GS 430/450h 195
IS 250/350 5,077

G Sedan 6,656
G Coupe 1,336
M 2,768


http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274204

at the people that said the M will flop and the GS will dominate it.

ostrich

WOW! The G Sedan is really a big success! I guess it is no surprise - it is hip, it is trendy, it is powerful and it is HOT! And the price is great too!

I can't believe how miserable the GS sales were... maybe it's time for one to get a big discount at the Lexus dealer now? LOL!

Viscous

No surprise here, lol

Garnet Canuck

You've got that right. G Sedan sales were up 71% in January, 50% in February and 60% for March when compared to the same months last year. Infiniti definitely has a winner with the new G Sedan.

runnerX

WHAT HAPPENED TO ACURA?

Mokos23

Wow the G is heating up in sales! Too bad I still don't have any money to join in and be part of that stat. Well, I'm still also waiting for the Ex to arrive.

ostrich

I suspect that the new Infiniti EX won't be any cheaper than the G sedan. See, you can get a loaded G sedan for less than 40K. I expect that the EX will be in the same region too, considering that a loaded FX 35 is already in the mid 40's.

The G sedan really is great value for money, considering what you get!

zamo

Infiniti does have better lease deals than Lexus. Lexus needs to start with good lease programs if they wanna increase sales.

MeehowsBRZ

I just checked the Infiniti website and was wondering whatever happened to their large sedan. With the EX concept they will have 3 SUV's. That outnumbers the sedans by a count of 3 to 2. Any word if a new sedan placed above the M is slated for the near future?

stangg172004

YES! this makes me happy! good for infinity! down with lexus!

ilitig8

Not to be a Lexus apologist but it seems from the Lexus forums over the last few months supply of the G seems rather limited, this supply constriction along with the M's favorable lease deals and higher marketing presence might account for the difference, none the less the M is definately stepping up to the plate.

Not sure when the new Q is supposed to be out but I wonder if it will be the glass ceiling, name plate is a big factor at those price levels and much like Acura stalled at just sub 50K, the Q might stall at ~65K, where BMW, Lexus, MB and Audi don't have that barrier.

Infamous425

the M has been outselling the GS for awhile now and a new Q is in the works probably with a 5.0 and 400hp

titan

A new Q is under development. The M is actually the top sedan right now, as there is no model year '07 Q. From what I hear the next Q (the name may also change, though I think that'd be a huge mistake) is supposed to be a stunner. Rumors are a new 5.0LV8 VK based off the current one making around 400HP. My hopes is that they shoehorn this rumored engine into the G for a high performance version...

titan

Kudos to Infiniti. Their really kicking ass now. The new EX will only help, and the next gen FX will be a beast.

titan

I just repeated the same stuff, lol. Didn't see ur post.

SeCsTaC

The RL doesn't sell well because it just doesn't look like a 50k car IMO, not one bit. You park it in a pool of normal mid-size sedans like camrys and accords and it'll get lost real easy, (esp next to an accord) it just doesnt stand out or even look good.

As for Infiniti, if they can make a car with a stunning exterior, nice interior with lots of features and price it below their german rivals I think they could capture some market share.

Oh and to Infiniti for kicking ass. Once the new G37 Coupe comes out I predict the G series will flirt with 10k sales/month for awhile.

Lastly, does anyone know when the FX and QX are due for a remodel?

Infamous425

new FX probably due in 2009

QX gets mid life refresh for 2008, dunno bout full remodel

TSX69

I will be the 1st to admit that the Acura RL is kinda bland & Honda Accordish looking, however, I do not think that the Lexus GS350 or Infiniti M35/45 look all that luxury-fied either. The Infiniti looks very similar to the G35 & the GS has that same L-Finesse look that is afflicting all new Lexus sedans. I guess where the RL is falling short is that it looks similar, to me, to the lower end Honda whereas the other 2 resemble autos from their luxury division.

Please let Acura put some real effort into the next generation RL bc by then I should be in the market for a new ride (2009ish).

F23A4

Lexus really does not lease out favorably. (...and I am not certain whether of not Lexus is doing this intentionally in order to ensure a more upscale clientele. )

IMHO, if Lexus had similar lease deals (to Infiniti) then, I believe the sales numbers between both brands would be close (though the GS will still get owned by the M when it comes to BLING! factor).

derrick

It's strange how companies want the best of both worlds -- I want to make a high margin per vehicle sold, yet I want to sell more of them than the competition. Doesn't work that way!

Infiniti is holding aces with the M-series (Consumer Reports "Best Buy" over the Lexus LS!) and the new G-series. Lexus had the attention of the media for the past couple of years so the novelty of their "L-finesse" design is starting to wane. I think they are milking their 'quality ... for a price' mindset a slight change. Sure, they can compete with MB and BMW ... but trying to change a typical buyer (ie I want luxury at a discount) to having them pay that premium for ownership ... it'll be a tough sell.

There will be those who will buy cars no matter what the cost but it will be difficult for Lexus to shake off that buyer's perspective of getting the good stuff and reliability without having to pay extra for it.

Lexus marketers can always use those listed numbers as people wanting to be 'more exclusive' and will keep the riff-raff out of the dealership so that their level of customer service stays strong.

03typeS6spd

The RL is a lot more than the base M35 though, the M45 sport looks considerably nicer imo for the same $

TMQ

Lexus quality has dipped somewhat, according to recent surveys. IMO, Lexus had delivered brand recognition and does well in the luxury category, but in terms of sports sedan it just can't quite cross over the road yet. IS is also a bit too small.

If I want to pull the trigger for a car today, it will definitely be the G35. Infiniti is onto something - it's going in the right direction: product design, quality, etc.

Acura - maybe the SH-AWD will put it off for the next gen TL, but the RL definitely needs some fresh ideas.

mrdeeno

this is the production concept picture and it shows the RL with much nicer (and larger) rims, which definitely adds to the looks.

The production has old stodgy looking 17" rims which seriously detract from the looks compared to the production concept.

Mokos23

What happened to Lexus's old slogan "Pursuing Perfection"?

zamo

They changed it. I remember it was "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection".
I guess they are not relentless anymore.

mrdeeno

wasn't it changed to "the passionate pursuit of perfection"?

anyway, the key word is "pursuit".

Kia can say they are in "pursuit" of perfection if they want and it would be true...unless they are intentionally trying to make their cars worse.

zamo

yup


http://www.leftlanenews.com/trademar...the-works.html

Beltfed

No surprise, the M and G35 (pre- 07) lease out much better than the IS and GS.

mrdeeno

the Passionate Pursuit of Potential sounds like crap.

Pursuing "perfection" is easy...means to try to make more perfect.

Pursuing "potential", uh, does that mean to try to make more potential energy? or more potential as in pursuing more possibilities? or more potential as in "This car doesn't have everything you need NOW, but it has potential...so come back when the next generation is here!"?

Garnet Canuck

^ I completely agree.


As far as Infiniti sales are concerned, it's nice to see the company gaining some decent momentum. The 07 G has definitely helped with that, and the upcoming G37 and EX35 will help even more. Infiniti sure has come along way and turned things around in 5 short years.

ostrich

Thank goodness these Infiniti buyers went for passion rather than boredom!!! LOL

Mokos23

"If Infiniti can do it, Acura can do it".

I mean back in 2000 I think the Infiniti brand was close to extinction and then Renault bailed out Nissan/Infiniti. Ever since that time they've improved come out with a new aim and focus and haven't looked back.

Maybe Honda/Acura could take Nissan/Infiniti's example and turn things around too in 5 years, but I'm not sure if they can.

mrdeeno

Big difference is that Nissan was like a cornered beast...they were about to be eaten and they ahd to fight.

Honda has not been a cornered beast for a long time and therefore they can take risks, like being super-conservative with Acura (which in the premium market, is a big risk...see RL for example). If they were forced to (for example if none of its models were successful) then I have no doubt they would build a RWD or V8 because they know they HAVE to do those things to compete. But since they have been successful, they don't have to and can risk being conservative.

I honestly think there is a sense of cockiness at Honda. They have been so successful for so long that they think their shit don't stink and that they know better than consumers. It'll be interesting to see what the next TL can do to maintain it's success in the next generation...the competition is much much stronger than 4-5 years ago.

jwong77

Completely agree, look at what GM have done lately. The new CTS is stunning! I guess theres no better catalyst than near extinction. Heck maybe even Ford can make a comeback.

mrdeeno

unless Honda intentionally wants Acura to be the Japanese "volvo", i think eventually they will end up "cornered" and will react accordingly to the market...and that may already be happening.

The 1st gen MDX was very competitive in both performance/offering/value when it came out, but the competition for the 2nd gen is much more severe and as good as the new MDX is, it is not a standout among its competitors as much as the first one was.

I have a feeling that the situation will be the same for the next gen TL...it will not be as much of a standout among its peers as the current generation was when it came out and it will be hard to keep the sales pace of the 2nd and 3rd gens.

Mokos23

I could only see that happening with the TL if the prices goes up even more near $40K and it's still FWD in the 4th gen TL.

mrdeeno

The competition is at least at 300hp. the next TL would be foolish to not at least make 300hp. But now that's 300hp to the front wheels, so unless they have a RWd platform designed, AWD would have to be standard equipment, nevermind being optional.

Considering a 286hp FWD TL type-S is around $38k, I don't see a TL with 300hp and AWD being much less than $38k, especially equipped with new features and options that the current competition is offering.

But now it runs into the problem that it is forcing users to buy a heavy AWD car, whether the customer lives in sunny california or snowy vermont.

So unless they offer a watered-down version of the TL (which would pale in comparison to the competition anyway), or unless they pull a miracle out of their asses, or get smart and put the TL on a new RWD platform, I don't see the next TL as having the same success as the last 2 gens.

that's how I'd bet my money. We'll see when the day actually comes.

Garnet Canuck

^ Completely agree.

Mokos23

Wow mr deeno good perspective. Unless Honda/Acura really is going to come out with a RWD platform, 300 hp will suck with FWD.

A TL with SH-AWD possibly and 300 + hp starting at or nicely equipped at $38K is a good price, but is it better than a G35 sedan?

But, you forgot if the next gen TL has "wow" styling and a sweet interior people will still buy it or consider it vs. the G35 because of the past good history of the first 3 gens of the TL with resale value and "Honda" quality.

chungkopi

RL sux.