Long time luxury car segment leader Lexus is outclassed by rivals Mercedes and BMW in terms of sales. Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus have been the annual top leader among the luxury car marques for eleven years.
The sales of Mercedes-Benz jumped by 11% or by 16,398 units compared to their last year’s numbers. BMW sprung by 21% or by as much as 15,905 vehicles. Lexus on the other hand fell by 17% or by 12,860 vehicles.
Lexus was able to protect its position last year and held off the two other rivals BMW and Mercedes to keep the top position in terms of sales in the Unite States. Lexus held the position for 11 years. The German brands have outpaced and outpositioned the Japanese Toyota unit with the X3 of BMW hitting the showrooms and the C-Class of Mercedes Benz getting a face lift.
The lead of Lexus is getting smaller with its 2009 19,473 units lead shrinkign to 9,216 last year. The sales of Lexus jumped 6.2% in 2010 or by around 229, 329 units while BMW’s numbers sprung by 12% or by as much as 220, 113 vehicles for 2010. Mercedes-Benz was able to achiev a 14% jump or 216,448 cars for 2010.
Lexus had a good push towards the end of 2010 to keep it afloat. The good race between the three luxury brands will impact the stats for the segment early this year. Lexus surely suffered from the recalls made by Toyota resulting to more incetive spendings for the company.
Lexus.
You think Lexus, you think sleek. Luxurious. Classy. Rich. Those are the words that come to mind. Am I right?
Set to get its much anticipated reveal at — you guessed it — Geneva, this compact model is a first in many ways.
One way is that it is the first to be shown from Toyota’s new luxury brand.
Wait. Toyota? Luxury? What? Well, okay, sure.
Maybe that explains why … none of those aforementioned adjectives come to mind when I look at this car.
It is bland. It is boring. It is hardly even ordinary. Mediocre though? Sure. Yes. It is definitely that.
Jaguar keeps its hands busy with the development of the new XJ saloon which is set to be released by the third quarter of 2010. The sales of the current XJ version are not as impressive as its competition from the 7 series of BMW and the S-Class of Mercedes Benz. Jaguar learned that looking in the past for design inspiration is a big mistake and they will not be making the same error again.
Jaguar designers wants to build new cats that are ready to pounce with more aggression. According to an insider, they are looking at deriving the lines of the new XJ from the XF. Aside from the look upgrade, the XJ will also get a work up with new engine features.
The car manufacturer is planning to launch a hybrid XJ by 2011 or a year after the new XJ saloon hits dealerships. The plug-in XJ will utilize the power from lithium ion battery packs combined with a combustion engine primarily used to back up the batteries.
All the plans can be executed, thanks to a loan amounting to £307 million from an investment bank. Jaguar is planning to collaborate with Land Rover to develop hybrid technologies which can be used for their next range of cars.
The platform Jaguar plans to use is a lot more similar to the one used by the Chevrolet Volt. Land Rover will be looking into engines similar to the Prius’ which makes use of both the combustion engine and the electric powertrain to drive the wheels.
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This new Lexus IS 250c has a great look, and the Lexus F-Sport Performance pack that’s available for it makes it even more of a true American roadster!
“Parts offered include brake kits, air intakes, short shifters and performance exhausts. For suspension upgrade, they have lowered springs, chassis braces, shock absorbers and sway bars. And finally, for F-sport accessories, they have the floor mats, shift knobs and engine covers.”
I’m a big fan and I’ll be test-driving this one in the next week, I’ll keep you posted! Photos below thanks to Lexus Blog.
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