Lexus March 2015 Sales Report

[krew]

krew

Lexus USA reports 31,054 sales in March, a new all-time record for the month.

View the original article post

 

[Black Dynamite]

All I wanted to see in March was the NX get over 3500.
If it can get there, it can run down the Acura RDX for the class crown by the end of the year.
It has already passed every other crossover in the class

90-day production ramp-up period is over.
Now the gloves are off.....playtime's over, ladies!
BD

 

[Ray99]

Once the all new RX arrives at dealership, Lexus sales will be skyrocketing. BMW and Merc don't even have a chance to win.

 

[Levi]

Once the all new RX arrives at dealership, Lexus sales will be skyrocketing. BMW and Merc don't even have a chance to win.

Unfortunately the opposite situation here in Europe.

 

[mikeavelli]

I've compiled comparison info in the thread below...or maybe we should merge

https://lexusenthusiast.com/forums/threads/march-2015-auto-sales-thread.365/#post-2627

 

[Black Dynamite]

Since the Lexus NX hit the market:

BMW X3: Down over 40%
BMW X1: Down over 60%

Just sayin'......
BD

 

[Black Dynamite]

Once the all new RX arrives at dealership, Lexus sales will be skyrocketing. BMW and Merc don't even have a chance to win.

Sounds good, but the problem is the RX will lose supply of salable units in the Fall, and Lexus will have 90-day production ramp up and delivery, so dealers won't have a ton of new RX until probably December.

Supply of all 2015 & 2016 models will be an issue in the second half of the year. Demand may increase, but supply will probably drop, so sales should remain stable over last year.

Next year, they can sell 125k easy. This year, not more than 110k.
BD

 

[corradoMR2]

As predicted by Lexus USA, the NX has hit the 3600 units/month target. My only concern is this number may never increase and be limited by the Kyushu plant's production capacity which was bumped to a max 120k units per year with the US having an 43k unit slice while the numerous other markets divide the difference.

Nice numbers from the RC!

 

[corradoMR2]

In Canada unlike in the US, the NX is arguably eating into the RX's sales as it has dropped 13.5% ytd vs 2014. I'm not too surprised since the deals for the RX are better in the US than in Canada. Also, as Canada is more of a "compact" car/SUV market vs the US enjoying a midsize market, combined with a 5 inch longer and pricier '16 RX, I predict the NX will take the Lexus best-.seller crown in Canada by year's end.

 

[Black Dynamite]

As predicted by Lexus USA, the NX has hit the 3600 units/month target. My only concern is this number may never increase and be limited by the Kyushu plant's production capacity which was bumped to a max 120k units per year with the US having an 43k unit slice while the numerous other markets divide the difference.

Nice numbers from the RC!

Great post, Corrado!
I knew the production of the NX was limiting imports. 43k won't be enough to beat the Acura RDX for the year.

You have a link to that Lexus USA info?
BD

 

[corradoMR2]

As predicted by Lexus USA, the NX has hit the 3600 units/month target. My only concern is this number may never increase and be limited by the Kyushu plant's production capacity which was bumped to a max 120k units per year with the US having an 43k unit slice while the numerous other markets divide the difference.

Nice numbers from the RC!

Great post, Corrado!
I knew the production of the NX was limiting imports. 43k won't be enough to beat the Acura RDX for the year.

You have a link to that Lexus USA info?
BD

Here you go.

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140829/RETAIL01/140829862/lexus-nx-may-challenge-rx-for-brand-sales-leader-outside-u.s.

"At the NX’s August line-off ceremony in Japan, Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken forecast U.S. sales of 42,000 in 2015."
... "Toyota Motor Corp. makes the NX only at its Miyata assembly plant in southwestern Japan. Miyata also makes the Lexus CT, HS, IS, ES and RX, as well as the Toyota Highlander and Sai hybrid.

Toyota initially targeted annual NX output of 80,000 units, which would rank the vehicle No. 3 in global and non-U.S. sales behind the RX and ES. But there is room for up to 40,000 more."

 

[Black Dynamite]

Here you go.

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...allenge-rx-for-brand-sales-leader-outside-u.s.

"At the NX’s August line-off ceremony in Japan, Lexus General Manager Jeff Bracken forecast U.S. sales of 42,000 in 2015."
... "Toyota Motor Corp. makes the NX only at its Miyata assembly plant in southwestern Japan. Miyata also makes the Lexus CT, HS, IS, ES and RX, as well as the Toyota Highlander and Sai hybrid.

Toyota initially targeted annual NX output of 80,000 units, which would rank the vehicle No. 3 in global and non-U.S. sales behind the RX and ES. But there is room for up to 40,000 more."

Danke Schoen
BD

 

[corradoMR2]

Danke Schoen
BD

What will be interesting to see is if somehow more units get allocated/sold to the US if demand is more, but possibly at the expense of other countries? Not sure what the corporate execs are doing behind the scenes but we'll find out the next upcoming months. That is, if we never get to see more than around 3600 sold then chances are it's due to the "cap", but if we consistently see numbers in the 4k or more, either other countries are not selling as well or they're getting the short end of the stick.

A related note that's also out there is Lexus stated they will be keeping a close eye on global demand and seriously considering existing plants (likely where the RAV4 is built where retooling is "simpler") to further expand NX production. TBD!

 

[mikeavelli]

As predicted by Lexus USA, the NX has hit the 3600 units/month target. My only concern is this number may never increase and be limited by the Kyushu plant's production capacity which was bumped to a max 120k units per year with the US having an 43k unit slice while the numerous other markets divide the difference.

Nice numbers from the RC!

What is also great to see thus far is there has been minimal cannibalization since the IS/ES/RX and even CT continues to sell. I was concerned that the NX might do some serious damage to the IS and CT in particular more so than the RX since the sizes are similar as is the pricing.

Lexus so far has found a way to add class leading product in each class they expand too!

 

[CIF]

Agreed with LexFather, very impressive that Lexus can add new products that don't noticeably cannibalize existing products. This shows how the patience, research, and preparation of Lexus pays off.

As for NX production and demand, we all know that globally, NX is production-limited right now. Regardless of how they shift the NX production allocation worldwide, it won't change the actual production numbers. I'm sure Lexus is currently going through the process of selecting the right site to expand NX production.

 

[Black Dynamite]

What will be interesting to see is if somehow more units get allocated/sold to the US if demand is more, but possibly at the expense of other countries? Not sure what the corporate execs are doing behind the scenes but we'll find out the next upcoming months. That is, if we never get to see more than around 3600 sold then chances are it's due to the "cap", but if we consistently see numbers in the 4k or more, either other countries are not selling as well or they're getting the short end of the stick.

A related note that's also out there is Lexus stated they will be keeping a close eye on global demand and seriously considering existing plants (likely where the RAV4 is built where retooling is "simpler") to further expand NX production. TBD!

The problem with that is the Rav4 is up over 25% this year, and is trying to chase down the Honda CRV for #1 crossover in America. It's 6k units behind after Q1. Toyota needs every Rav4 they can make.
BD

 

[CIF]

Yes the Rav4 is also highly production-limited. In fact, many Toyota models are production-limited. Toyota over the last few years has focused on utilizing existing plants much more efficiently, instead of building new plants. In a recent press release Toyota said that they are utilizing over 90% capacity of all plants worldwide.