Lexus January 2017 Sales Report

[Rob Grieveson]

The Spindle grille - refine and reduce! It is too controversial to be really a good styling feature.

 

[Bryan]

The Spindle grille - refine and reduce! It is too controversial to be really a good styling feature.

I totally agree. The reason the CPO sales are doing so well is because customers don't like the front grill. The NX needs the safety system plus and the RX needs a third row. Hard to imagine it all happening this year. Good thing the LS and LC are being released during the SUV spike.

 

[Gecko]

I think the spindle has really hit it's stride with LS and LC, but it's going to be a while for it to proliferate through the rest of the lineup and look as well executed.

There's really no better time for Lexus to have an aging sedan lineup - nobody is buying cars anyway. I'm not sure what it will take for the pendulum to swing back in favor of the sedan, but we'll see over the next few years.

If I was Lexus, I'd be fast-tracking the UX right now and prioritizing that over almost anything else. Clumping RX L, NX refresh and UX into the same year might be too much, but hopefully they can get it to market quickly.

Kinda funny because even as flawed as Lexus SUV lineup is right now, nobody's is perfect.

GLA - quite frankly, a terrible car.
GLC - class leading, IMO
GLE - old and in need of replacement
GLS - nice recent refresh to keep it fresh for a few years, but really not even close to the "S Class of SUVs"
G - niche

X1 - New model is very basic and hardly any nicer than a Rav4 or CR-V, but a big jump over the last one in terms of consumer appeal
X3 - aging, but gracefully. Needs a replacement in a competitive segment.
X4 - Somehow, it sells.. I don't understand
X5 - old and heading towards a replacement soon
X6 - same notes as X4
X7 - on the horizon

Q3 - garbage car, much like GLA
Q5 - brand new but you can barely tell the difference. Hopefully it does well for Audi
Q7 - still relatively new, but the redesign was not terribly popular

NX - badly needs an interior refresh which is coming later this year, possibly also a powertrain refresh
RX - Lexus' bread and butter
GX - Lexus has decided to let it die on the vine and wither out. In theory, a replacement should be due later this year as a 3rd Gen. Huge missed opportunity at this price point for Lexus.
LX - Pie in the sky expensive, but it plays the part well

I still personally cannot stomach the exterior of the RX. Floating C pillar, oversize grill and ungainly front overhang are deal killers for me. It's the first application where I've ever felt like the spindle is "too much."

 

[Bryan]

Cant agree more that Lexus isnt the only brand with problems. Cant believe how many cusotmers are turning to Lincoln, Ford, Honda.. ect for their luxury vehicles. The technology in those line ups are competing strong with what Lexus has to offer. Just curious what is a GX replacement? I know its dying out but it still has its spot..

 

[James]

I think the spindle has really hit it's stride with LS and LC, but it's going to be a while for it to proliferate through the rest of the lineup and look as well executed.

There's really no better time for Lexus to have an aging sedan lineup - nobody is buying cars anyway. I'm not sure what it will take for the pendulum to swing back in favor of the sedan, but we'll see over the next few years.

If I was Lexus, I'd be fast-tracking the UX right now and prioritizing that over almost anything else. Clumping RX L, NX refresh and UX into the same year might be too much, but hopefully they can get it to market quickly.

Kinda funny because even as flawed as Lexus SUV lineup is right now, nobody's is perfect.

GLA - quite frankly, a terrible car.
GLC - class leading, IMO
GLE - old and in need of replacement
GLS - nice recent refresh to keep it fresh for a few years, but really not even close to the "S Class of SUVs"
G - niche

X1 - New model is very basic and hardly any nicer than a Rav4 or CR-V, but a big jump over the last one in terms of consumer appeal
X3 - aging, but gracefully. Needs a replacement in a competitive segment.
X4 - Somehow, it sells.. I don't understand
X5 - old and heading towards a replacement soon
X6 - same notes as X4
X7 - on the horizon

Q3 - garbage car, much like GLA
Q5 - brand new but you can barely tell the difference. Hopefully it does well for Audi
Q7 - still relatively new, but the redesign was not terribly popular

NX - badly needs an interior refresh which is coming later this year, possibly also a powertrain refresh
RX - Lexus' bread and butter
GX - Lexus has decided to let it die on the vine and wither out. In theory, a replacement should be due later this year as a 3rd Gen. Huge missed opportunity at this price point for Lexus.
LX - Pie in the sky expensive, but it plays the part well

I still personally cannot stomach the exterior of the RX. Floating C pillar, oversize grill and ungainly front overhang are deal killers for me. It's the first application where I've ever felt like the spindle is "too much."

Do we have any proof that the GX is dying out? I mean don't get me wrong they haven't done much lately to it but are they surprising us all and releasing an image soon? Just wondering.

 

[corgilady2011]

Lexus really needs some sporty SUV models to help diversify their lineup there.

I say this time and time again, but it would be a relatively easy way to provide more variance in the current models.

As a recent RX F-Sport owner, while I absolutely love the look of the car, the performance is such a downer. I get a lot of looks but it doesn't actually "perform" the part everyone thinks its should by the way it looks on the outside. It has been rather disappointing for me given the near $60K MSRP on the vehicle. Interior and overall experience is nothing short of amazing. That is just my one single critique.

As someone that quite frankly changes cars more often than they buy shoes (I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or not to admit that), I really hope that Lexus decides to pick up on it and capitalize it -- because offerings like the GLC43, F-Pace and even the upcoming Cayenne redesign in the next year or so will be an extremely tempting move, even with the pricing differences in mind.

The other thing. Technology in Lexus vehicles seems severely lacking. The most glaring is the lack of Apple Carplay/Android Auto, but there are a multitude of newer features in MB/Audi vehicles that have caught my eye - like the drive "pilot" or auto assist type features that help navigate you through stop and go traffic, etc. Lexus is lucky that my commute is being cut in half in the next few months which will make those features less appealing.

 

[mikeavelli]

January is always a crappy month for Lexus. Their December to Remember always cleans them out and January is rarely a strong month for anyone. Not making excuses but that is a big part of it.

Its not the spindle grill IMO. Sales have climbed with the spindle in the USA and Lexus has never sold more vehicles worldwide. The Spindle likely has alienated some previous owners and Lexus was well aware they were going to lose a few.

 

[Amr Ahmed]

Is there someone who can explain
-Why Lexus trademarked the GX 400 in Japan?
-why lexus make three-row in rx?

 

[Tragic Bronson]

January is always a crappy month for Lexus. Their December to Remember always cleans them out and January is rarely a strong month for anyone. Not making excuses but that is a big part of it.

Its not the spindle grill IMO. Sales have climbed with the spindle in the USA and Lexus has never sold more vehicles worldwide. The Spindle likely has alienated some previous owners and Lexus was well aware they were going to lose a few.

Alien grills on SUVs outselling alien grills on sedans...

 

[krew]

I thought Lexus Canada stopped publishing their numbers, but that's incorrect -- original post has been updated with details:

On the other side of the border, things are much brighter — January market the seventh consecutive record sales month for Lexus Canada, with 1,313 units sold. This is a 3.1% increase over January 2016.

Lexus SUVs make up the lion’s share of the sales, with the RX ringing in 554 sales and the NX hitting 356 sales. In fact, SUV sales made up 78% of all Lexus sales in Canada for January.

» Click to view the full model-by-model breakdown (PDF)

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

On the sidelines of the Chicago Auto Show, Lexus USA's general manager Jeff Bracken sheds some light on the sharp downturn in Lexus' U.S. January sales and warns that the situation might not be normalized until March. Here's the Automotive News report:

Lexus still short of utility vehicles
Supplies expected to be normalized by March
February 13, 2017 - Laurence Iliff

CHICAGO -- Lexus is still short on supplies of its popular utility vehicles after limited availability led to a 26 percent fall in sales last month.

"It's getting better throughout February," Jeff Bracken, general manager of Toyota's luxury brand, told Automotive News on the sidelines of the Chicago Auto Show, but supplies likely won't normalize until March.

Bracken said Lexus sold so many units in December that it went into the new year strapped for utility vehicles such as its top-selling RX, leading to a softer January than expected.

Lexus sold 15,572 vehicles in January vs. just over 41,000 in December.

Sales of utility vehicles were about 50 percent of the mix last month for Lexus while the market was closer to 65 percent, he added. Bracken said that he hopes to get light-truck supplies back up to support about 60 percent of sales and that the company has a plan to do so.

As for the next-generation LS sedan unveiled last month in Detroit, Bracken said it has received good reviews for its styling, but the engine choice has puzzled some critics.

"If there's a question, it's the V-6 twin turbo," Bracken said. Although the flagship sedan's power and acceleration match those of luxury rivals, he said, "I think there are still some journalists that are like "Nah, but it isn't a V-8.'"

The new V-6 could find its way into other Lexus vehicles such as the LC coupe should the motor find favor with consumers, Bracken said. "We will now have the benefit and the insight of how this is accepted in the marketplace."

http://www.autonews.com/article/20170213/RETAIL01/302139951/lexus-still-short-of-utility-vehicles

 

[ydooby]

This is what happens when you manage a luxury brand with a budget brand mentality. Luxury is all about options and individuality. People shopping for a luxury product are more willing to pay a premium to get exactly what they want. If you care only about cutting inventory costs and keeping inventory as lean as (in)humanly possible, your potential customers will far more likely fail to find the exact models/colors/options they want and will turn to other brands that offer them as a result. In the end, you'll lose far more in lost sales as well as from the bad reputation as a premium brand for not catering to luxury shoppers' individual needs, than the few bucks you save from a lean inventory.

Stop managing Lexus like a Toyota, please.