Lexus December 2011 Sales Report (Plus Year-End Sales Report)

Posted by Kevin on January 5th, 2012

USA

Lexus USA have released their December sales summary, which means its time to look at both the monthly and year-end totals:

MONTH Year to Date (*DSR*)
2011 2010 % CHG 2011 2010 % CHG
CT 2,259 0 N/A 14,381 0 N/A
HS 274 1,121 ‐75.6 2,864 10,663 ‐73.2
IS 3,629 3,782 ‐4.0 29,669 34,129 ‐13.4
ES 4,882 5,469 ‐10.7 40,873 48,652 ‐16.3
GS 194 777 ‐75.0 3,746 7,059 ‐47.1
LS 1,056 1,516 ‐30.3 9,568 12,275 ‐22.3
SC 0 13 -100.0 18 328 ‐94.5
LFA 10 0 N/A 62 0 N/A
Total Cars 12,304 12,678 ‐2.9 101,181 113,106 ‐10.8
RX 11,508 12,090 ‐4.8 82,595 95,790 ‐14.1
GX 1,219 2,246 ‐45.7 11,609 16,450 ‐29.7
LX 324 546 ‐40.7 3,167 3,983 ‐20.7
Total Trucks 13,051 14,882 ‐12.3 97,371 116,223 ‐16.5
Total Sales 25,355 27,560 ‐8.0 198,552 229,329 ‐13.7

Although every model was down as compared to last year, it was a very successful month in the grand scheme of things, with over 25,000 units sold — proving just how important the holiday month is to the bottom line (and why such a big deal is made about the December to Remember advertising).

But more than that, December sales bumped the year-end totals up more than 10%, helping Lexus to finish only 13.7% lower than 2010 — a remarkable achievement when you consider the inventory supply issues caused by the March tsunami in Japan, not to mention the lull in new products that saw only two new models introduced this year (one of which was the LFA, which sold a grand total of 62 units.)

The other new model, the CT 200h, had an excellent debut, moving 14,381 units and beating sales estimates by 43%, with 70% of the buyers new to Lexus, and 35% trading in another luxury brand.

The other bright spot in the lineup is the perpetually bestselling RX, which continued its dominance of the crossover segment despite a 14.8% decrease in sales as compared to 2010.

The low point of the year has to be the HS 250h, which saw a 73.2% sales drop that has yet to be fully explained, but in general, most other sales decreases can be attributed to the age of the vehicle designs.

With 2011 in the books, it’s time to turn our attention to the new year, which should see its first boost in February when the next-generation GS 350 reaches dealerships — a moment that can’t happen soon enough.

[Source: Lexus]

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Comments
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sigh
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    Brad
  • January 5, 2012
Like I said a few days ago & like others have said on here as well,this is going to be a very important year for Lexus.Not only do they have important redesigned models & refreshed models going on sale within the next year or so,but it's the models that are being addressed.The IS,ES LS & RX are the most well recognised vehicles from Lexus.These are not niche vehicles.Lexus is now gearing up to market its margin monsters.Also the new GS is going on sale in a few months & I think it's going to prove very popular.In fact,I think some of this years sales numbers are reflected by buyers such as myself that are waiting to see what comes to market in the coming year.If Lexus brings a supercharged CT to market as the CT-F like the one that Fox Marketing brought to SEMA or if they used the same powertrain from the HS as an option,it would make Lexus' hot hatch even hotter,but that's getting off track here.On that note though,if the RX sells big,I will wager that a CX would prove just as popular & would make good business sense as well.Last thing of note here is the 2013 ES.Looking at related models,I can honestly say that the new Camry marks the first time that I've been excited about the Camry since I bought my last Camry back in '93.If the new camry is this good,just wait & see how good the new ES turns out to be.Yes,Lexus may have lost their way while trying to figure out their identity,but they're certainly back now!Now let the blowing of other vehicles out of the water commence!
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    F1
  • January 5, 2012
Not bad.. I expect Lexus to dominate this year as the usual..
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    Pedro_roldao
  • January 5, 2012
So... a 2011 Lexus SC is a more rare car than an LFA.... pretty interesting lol
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    warthog
  • January 5, 2012
No surpirse to me about the HS 250h.  It is ugly, cheap and bizarre inside.  Scrap it and use the engine for a CT 250h.
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      Sith
    • January 5, 2012
    Mate, its a niche model. If they earn money with them, whtats the problem ?
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      Brad
    • January 5, 2012
    Thats the problem!It's not making them any money because not enough people are buying them.Every model is a gamble in the sense that the the sale price is calculated based on how many cars they think they can sell of the given model.Dropping this model & using is powertrain for the CT or ES not only makes better business sense,it will make the consumer happier too,my self included.
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      Brad
    • January 5, 2012
    Well said.My point exactly as noted above.
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      Sith
    • January 5, 2012
    I am not exactly sure but i think the Lexus HS 250h is still on sale in Japan. The cheaper one is the Toyota Sai and is only for Japan and these sales better there.
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      Brad
    • January 6, 2012
     ...er...it was noted above this,but now below for some reason.??
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    lexusjoe
  • January 5, 2012
Krew< any word on the Luxury Sales Rankings? Was Lexus #2 this year? I know we will gain the top spot again, especially with support from Lexus Financial
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      F1
    • January 6, 2012
    Lexus finished 3rd this year after Mercedes-Benz (1st) and BMW (2nd) Lexus sold 198,552 Mercedes sold 261,808 BMW sold 247,907 In USA
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      F1
    • January 6, 2012
    Keep in mind though that the Mercedes sales also include the sprinter vans, which are not luxury cars..
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    And there was something about fleet sales to dealers, but everyone does that. aha
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    Are you sure though? [For the US] From what I heard, those are simply Merc-badged Dodge Sprinters that are under Dodge's sales numbers.
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my guess is its no 3 after merc and bmw
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    Oak_hill
  • January 5, 2012
I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves here.  Lexus has a couple years to go to re-gain the top spot.  Once you loose the momentum....it takes a while to regain it.  Look at the GX.  They redesigned it inside and out, better MPG (21 on the hwy , I know because I have a 10') and 2 years later they have dropped almost 50% in sales per month.    I'm afraid this is what will happen to the GS. 
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      Bobby
    • January 6, 2012
    that may be the case, but this "new face of lexus" thing has gotten a lot of publicity so its definitely generated more attention than when the new GX came out. Then there was issues with possibly rolling over in the GX soon after its release which may have concerned buyers. The new GS has only gotten praise in terms of engineering, and i believe theres a larger market for a mid size luxury car than the SUV based off a toyota. I know a lot of people planning to switch brands for this car something the GX didnt really do. idk well have to wait and see

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