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BMW’s Dreier continues to be the dominant force in the smaller “mid-luxury” segment, while archrival Mercedes controls the large luxury segment (chart after the jump) with its E Class. But the bigger story? Lexus’s incredible vanishing act, with both the ES and IS drooping under the German onslaught. Cadillac’s CTS beat the Audi A4 sedan, but add the A5 in (as the CTS, 3-Series and G37 all include coupes) and the Caddy drops to fourth place for the month. Ultimately, though, the Mercedes, Audi, Cadillac and Infiniti may switch places month-by-month, but all four are clearly stuck vying for the role of best 3-Series alternative. Meanwhile, the large luxury sedan market would thrill for even that level of competition…
73 Comments on “April Sales: Mid and Large Luxury Sedans...”
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DTS outsells STS. There is the whole explanation of why we will soon be visited by the XTS… sigh. (Not that I can afford any of those brand new I just thought the STS was a good car in search of a world class interior.)
3 Series/A4/C Class are now “mid” sized cars and the 5/A6/E are “large”? What does that make the 7/A8/S?
I parked next to a new BMW this morning, and the first thought I had was, “Wow, they updated the 7-series again?” Nope, it was the 5-series. It has gotten BIG. And this example was in black, which is theoretically a slimming color.
DTS still has a V8. The STS lost the V8 option last year.
The Cimarron XL XTS won’t get a V8 so it will fail.
/wishful thinking?
But the Caddy 3.6 V6 is a much better engine than the Northstar in the DTS, it even makes more hp (though slightly less torque).
If anything, I’d give the extra DTS sales to fleet purchases and old people buying what old people are used to (the same could be said for Town Car sales being as high as they are on the list).
V8 sound, V8 smoothness, V8 torque. Three good reasons to buy a V8 Cadillac over a V6 one.
The DTS being a FWD car, however, the torque advantage is somewhat negated by increased torque steer and weight over the front axle. But the smoothness issue becomes even more important in a front-driver.
Why aren’t the Infiniti M37 and M56 included in the large luxury category? Too few sales or are they included in the M45 numbers?
Why isn’t the Buick LaCrosse here, as it competes head-to-head with the Lexus ES?
Especially as the chart includes the other near-luxury / not-quite-luxury brands of Acura, Infiniti, Lincoln & Volvo.
5,649 Buick LaCrosse sold April 2011 is second only to the BMW 3-series, and tops of any of the 5er category.
That’s just like saying that the Dodge 600ES competed with the Mercedes 300D. I’ve got the print ads with a feature for feature comparison to prove it!
Agreed – the current gen LaCrosse is every bit of a luxury car as the sad Lincoln line up or Volvo.
Please CJ… The ES350 is a Camry wearing Lipstick
The LaCrosse has every right to be compared to it, if not more cred.
We can compare the LaCrosse to the ES 350, and, for most people, the ES 350 would win. Why? Lexus is a prestigious brand. Buick simply is not. It has nowhere near the status, snob appeal or reputation of Lexus.
This is entirely separate, of course, from the merits of these vehicles as cars.
Toyota has a 40 year track record of building cars that exceed customers’ expectations. GM? The ES 350 has a base price of $36K, the Buick Lacrosse $27K. The Lacrosse is a competitor for high trim level 4 cylinder Camrys among people who don’t have much confidence in their own opinions. A high end Camry derivative is viable because the Camry is the embodiment of a corporation synonymous with quality cars. Buick built complete garbage for decades. They haven’t been a premium car since the 1950s. GM considered quality to be an indulgence the American market should be weened from, and they obviously had some success at it. Not enough for them to avoid the stench of being second rate though, as their resale values continue to prove.
Cred? Compare a ten year old Camry to a ten year old Buick. The only cred you can buy with an advertising campaign is BS.
I guess things don’t actually change in this world? Lets remember that Lexus didn’t even exist till the early 90’s and that Hyundai built garbage 10 years ago. Things change quickly This is not the only article to point out that Buick is on the rise, while Lexus is growing stale.
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/03/buick-sales-soar-past-lexus.html
You can spout the same old tired argument about the PAST quality of Toyota products, but that doesn’t discount that competitors have caught up, and Toyota has fallen asleep at the wheel as of late.
Stop living in the past and take a look at the present.
Roundel, it’s no secret that GM pays big buck for buff articles. But building a car isn’t that easy.
Sure GM fans can say whatever they want about how the new product is different this time. But I am tired of hearing this crap.
New model = unproven. When I look at cars, I am just like CJinSD, I look at 10 or 20 year old models for clues. 1991 and 2001 Lexus cars are regarded as good cars. The same can’t be said of Buick.
If the new 2011 Buick is indeed as good as some claim it to be, fine, I will consider a 2021 Buick. But my estimate is that in year 2021, a 2011 Buick Regal will be like crap as compared to a 2011 Camry.
I’ve been around long enough to witness several rebirths of the domestic auto industry. I’ve witnessed decades of mouthbreathers’ wishful thinking about Japanese mediocrity. I worked as a service writer in an all makes shop 4 years ago, and there was still no comparing GM and Toyota in quality of engineering. The idea that they turned around while simultaneously going through a well deserved bankruptcy and an undeserved bail-out is absurd. It is Orwellian propaganda fantasy. Just like the Toyota recalls. There is nothing to be lost by waiting for a few generations of GM’s miracle products to not turn back into pumpkins like the last 40 years of their garbage did.
10 & 20-year old Lexus & Mercedes are built *far* better than the stuff they sell today, so I don’t think it’s a fair comparison.
Heck, I remember when ice cream was sold by the half-gallon, and coffee was a pound to the can. Lexus is a 3/8 gallon tub, and Benz is 13 oz of coffee at the old price.
Lexus simply doesn’t make that good of a car, at least not by modern standards. Particularly when you’re looking at their leather-lined Camry.
To be honest, none of these responces actually address the fact that Buicks are selling better than a comparable Lexus.
They also don’t address the fact that Lexus’ portfolio is stale and that they they are under the gun from a brand a decade ago that was the blue light special.
But go ahead and Stay the course Toyota!
You seem to be in denial of the fact that the Lacrosse is a 27K base price family(or pensioner) car while the ES 350 starts at 36K. The Lexus costs a third more. Compare the Buick to the Camry it actually competes with on price and you’ll see that it is a niche player in a big segment.
Wait…
So because Buick offers the same level of equipment for less, means that it isn’t a viable alternative and competitor?
So that means that the Genesis and Equous can’t be serious competition because their base price is less then their competitors?
What kind of thought process is that?
I can’t agree that Lexus doesn’t make “that good of a car.” The top-of-the-line Lexus is far superior to any Cadillac (let alone Buick). Lexus fields a credible competitor to the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class; GM simply does not.
Is the LaCrosse better than the ES350? Hard to say, but if the base model stickers for one-third less than the Lexus, that has to boost sales. And let’s not forget that GM typically offers a higher level of incentives than Toyota/Lexus. Based on visual count, the LaCrosses I see are mostly mid-level versions bought by people who would have bought a Park Avenue, LeSabre or Eighty-Eight if one had been available.
GM’s problem is that luxury vehicles are supposed to represent the pinnacle of a manufacturer’s lineup. Unfortunately for GM, the best vehicles it makes are Chevrolets (Corvette, Tahoe/Suburban and Silverado) and the best engine by far is the ohv V-8. The Cadillac Northstar is an outdated engine with suspect reliability, and Buick simply has no image, beyond being the GM car for more mature citizens.
Cadillac can’t be the “Standard of the World” when it isn’t even the “Standard of GM.”
Roundel,
Suppose you’re the one person in the world that would actually cross shop a Buick and a Lexus. Would you accept a compromise to save $9,000? Does the Buick have to be as good to justify its price? More realistically, don’t people look around for what meets their needs and fits their budget? If the Buick were about twice as good as it is, it would be a legitimate competitor for 4 cylinder Accord EX-Ls and midline Camrys. People who think they’re getting any sort of respect for shopping at a Buick store instead of a Chevy one would be a great customer list to have. You could sell them anything. Saying a Buick is a Lexus competitor is like saying a Hyundai Genesis is a big BMW competitor. It looks similar on a spec sheet. That’s about it.
Not really a surprise, most of the Lexus lineup is very stale, both in design and technology. Wasn’t a Lexus the last car on the market to still have an in-dash cassette deck? Meanwhile Audi gives you Google maps…
I’m also curious about the Infiniti M, I would’ve expected more of a boost than that from a brand new (and WAY improved) model.
The tape decks on Lexus, particularly the LS and SC, were spectacular, comparable to a Nakamichi Dragon or any azimuth adjustable deck with bias trim. You’d be hard pressed to tell a difference from CD on a metal or CrO2 tape. Not a good example.
The sales figures for Genesis are impressive(and I do consider it a competitor to these midsize sedans).
Where’s the sales figures for A8, 7, LS, S, Equus, and XJ? That’s what I think of when full size luxury sedans come to mind.
The tape decks on Lexus, particularly the LS and SC, were spectacular, comparable to a Nakamichi Dragon or any azimuth adjustable deck with bias trim.
I agree. And when I drove a family member’s ’05 SC for a few weeks, it was awfully handy to be able to pop in a cassette adapter and listen to my iPod, since there is no auxiliary jack or USB port… ;)
Comparable to a Dragon might be a bit of stretch, but yeah, it is amazing how good a cassette can sound. Even the three head decks without azimuth adjustment were phenomenal. I’ll never get rid of my Naks…anybody else disappointed with the lack of sonic detail and general quality of downloaded music? Convenience isn’t everything… the golden age of audio is long gone…
golden2husky –
It is possible to have it both ways. Some online music stores allow you to buy your music in uncompressed FLAC or virtually lossless Ogg Vorbis encoding formats, which given the right MP3 player, can then be played through your stereo.
If you are converting your own LP, tape, or CD collection into digital music files for portability you of course have the choice to encode it into whatever format using whatever algorithm suits you best.
There is also a lot of variety inside of the basic MP3 standard. Constant bitrate 128kbs sounds different from 256kbs variable bit rate.
Given the quality of most car stereos though, and the ambient noise that is typical inside of a car, I doubt many people are worrying too much about audio fidelity.
I just bought a “reference” set of home speakers. I can’t believe how much better all of my music sounds, regardless of how it is formatted. Even the 128 bit MP3’s sound great. Now what distresses me is just how bad every car stereo sounds. I think it is the ambient noise in the car that kills the sound. Even the high end BOSE in my current car sounds over processed and dull.
It’s not just the quality of downloaded music that has gone down the toilet. Many, many modern CDs sound terrible compared to CDs from the 1990s. The recording volume levels are turned sky-high (presumably so they make an impression on impressionable youths trying on the headphones down at the local big box store). Dynamic range is squashed way down because the lowest volume level is too high, and distortion is very noticeable.
The most noticeable problem with this is that you only have 2 or 3 “clicks” of volume adjustment between amp shut-off and unlistenably loud. It aggravates me to no end.
SP, I too wish that record companies would cater to those with decent audio equipment rather than those who listen on laptop speakers and IPhones. But it seems we must be a small minority.
So the Audi A7 began selling? I’ll have to keep my eyes open!
Where’s the Acura TSX?
The chart is a bit confused. If the IS isn’t a small luxury car, then I suppose only the Aston Martin Cygnet qualifies. The 3 series is also smaller inside than a TSX, let alone a TL. The TL has more interior room than the 5 series, or at least than the E60 had. If they’re just grouped by price, then the Genesis should be classed with the 3 series and A4.
I agree. TL is in the same class as a 5 or E. Large enough, and has AWD. TSX is in the same class as a 3 or C. Still large enough and now has the V6 version to increase the average price and power.
In that sense, Acura is doing quite well.
Where is the 2011 Tata Nano?
I am surprised that the A6 doesn`t sell very well especially as Audi do creditably with the A4 in the mid market.
I agree with the comments made earlier about why isn`t Buick included if “near Luxury” brands like Acura or Lincoln can be included.
@mike978, the current A6 is a seven-year-old model, the replacement has already been introduced in Europe (but not yet available here), so there should be no surprise the sales numbers are low.
Thanks – I had thought the new one was out over here. Will be interesting to see if the new A6 does well.
Not until sometime this fall, I think.
What is amazing to me is that a BMW that first saw the light of day in 2005 is ruling the entry level sport/luxury sedan market.
Admittedly, the E90 drives pretty well, crappy interior and iffy longterm reliability non-withstanding, but is it really more desirable to a number of buyers than the much more recently refreshed G37 and G25?
Also, the CTS is a remarkable market success and one of the few cars that General Motors manages to execute well.
The operative word is ‘status’. As in, to most of its customers and wanna-be customers, BMW can do no wrong, is the ultimate desire, etc. And they’re probably good for a few more years coasting along. BMW has the same status that a Cadillac had back in the ’50’s and ’60’s.
I dunno about that. BMW turbos have big problems with the HPFP, along with battery charge maintenance. And all their plastics go to crap.
If Camry, Fusion and Accord clones were included why there is no Buick and Chrysler 300. At least Chrysler is not the clone.
GM positions Buick as a premium or upscale brand, but not a luxury brand. GM is the only company still doing a three tiered approach since Ford dropped Mercury. As long as Caddy is around, Buick doesn’t count as a luxury brand.
And Hyundai is a luxury brand???
GM states specifically that Buick is being retuned to compete directly against Lexus and Acura as an entry level luxury brand. I think the LaCrosse should be on the list.
I really don’t think the Hyundai belongs on the list either. It also needs a footnote showing that it is sales for both the sedan and the (much different) coupe.
I really don’t think the Hyundai belongs on the list either.
I disagree. The chart is for luxury cars, not luxury brands. Besides, they didn’t just stretch a Sonata, add wood trim, and slap a Genesis badge on it. Both the Coupe and the Sedan were new platforms created just for the Genesis line. There are other automakers that can’t make that statement about their luxury/premium vehicles.
@Nullo: VAG is a 3-tier (or more). If you discount Buick in the Chevy-Buick-Caddy lineup, you need to discount Audi (VW-Audi-Porsche) as well. Bear in mind that Porsche sells a full range of luxury coupes, convertibles, sedans, and CUVs that are a step up from Audi.
If you keep Audi as “luxury”, then Buick stays in the fold.
Camry, Fusion and Accord clones were included. But not themselves.
I have no problem with GM producing a Buick something clone badged as a Caddy, or Chrysler 300 clone badged as something else counted as luxury.
Actually VW is more than 3-tier:
SEAT-Scoda-VW-Audi-Porche-Bently-Lamborgini. So they have to kill SEAT, Scoda, Porche, bently and Lambo to be a 2-tier.
I had no idea that the DTS still sold so (comparatively) well.
I’m very surprised that the ES is outsold by the G37, CTS, and A4 (not because the latter three aren’t better cars, but I would have thought the ‘ooh, Lexus!’ mindset would have driven more ES sales).
Well, Lexus is essentially having more than two candidates for this price segment. You really need to add ES and IS together. Also, don’t forget about the HS. They all fight for the same customer base.
What about the GS? Is that a LS fighter? Or an ES fighter?
Lexus is confusing.
Wow! The Mercedes and BMW models outsell everyone else… combined.
Either mid-level luxury has turned into the burial ground of value propositions. Or the E-Class and 5-Series are two serious rockin’ machines.
I’ll bet you a Sebring that it’s the former.
I think you have a glimmer of the truth there. Aside from the BMW 3 series and the Infiniti G37, how many people are buying luxury cars because of their sporting intentions?
The fact that the C-class does so well (while not being a great car, especially for the money) really shows that buyers in this segment seem to care more about the brand snob appeal than they do about the capabilities, features, and overall quality of the car.
To give the C-Class credit, its a very handsome looking sedan, more so then the 3.
The Genesis in third. haha,go Hyundai and lower prices.
Lexus has some serious problems as a brand. Take away the RX and they basically have nothing that burns up the sales chart.
I’m a bit surprised at the weak ES sales. With continued decontenting of the Camry, the line between a loaded Camry and a base ES is less blurry than before (which is a good thing you would think for Lexus) but the sales numbers don’t reflect it.
Given reliability reputation, a degree of snob appeal, price points, resale value, and a high level of standard content, the decline in Lexus sales is puzzling to me. Ya, but they’re boring I don’t see as a big issue – we’re talking about Lexus buyers here and given Toyota’s sales leadership, boring apparently sells – well.
Why take away RX?
What is Ford if you take away F150?
What is MB if you take away E class?
Wow, I’m surprised at the support for ye olde cassette deck. They may have been superb.. but who cares? Why not an 8-track deck designed by McIntosh? Oh, if only I could play my wax cylinders in my Lexus!
Cassette adapters sound absolutely horrid, and are a very poor substitute for USB/iPod connectivity or onboard hard drive storage space. They are only one step up from an FM transmitter.
I see support for cassette decks … but I think you are the only one that brough up the cassette adapter. I don’t think that contraption has too many fans anymore. (Although it was neat back in the day.) I would much rather have an AUX jack.
Hey, a real challenge would be to design a tape-to-CD adapter so I could listen to my Walkman in any modern rental car. ;)
Cassette adapters are a huge step up from an FM transmitter!
The A6 numbers are not suprising. That platform is older that dirt. Next year should be interesting with the new A6 hitting the streets. A7 is already in showrooms and might be the best interpretation of the fastback sedan concept yet, which admittedly, is like pointing out the prettiest garbage truck in the fleet, but hey, some people seem to like the abominations.
“but all four are clearly stuck vying for the role of best 3-Series alternative”
In Cadillac’s case, I think they’re pleased as punch just to be in the running again, especially when you consider how much GM damaged the brand in the 80s and 90s while BMW and Lexus cleaned up.
The CTS is too big to be a direct 3 competitor, and too small and not luxurious enough to tackle the 5. The future ATS should help with the 3, but I just can’t imagine the XTS stealing away many 5 sales.
I see that mid-level list and the only cars I can get excited about are the G37 and the new S60. I look at the large car list and find absolutely nothing to be excited about.
At least German snob appeal is alive and well. The 3-Series is an absolute joke. Every 25 year old kid with his first corporate salary is leasing a 3 series. There is no “I’ve made it, I drive a bimmer” cache anymore.
Anyone who’s driven the Infiniti G doesn’t have to wonder why it’s the current 3-series killer – it gives you fully 9.5-tenths of the 3’s performance and feel, for at least ten grand less.
If BMW wants to keep the 3 positioned at the top, it had better avoid doing what it did to the 7 and 5, with their over-teched, PlayStation steering and suspension systems.
You know, I was impressed when I saw that Lincoln sold about 9,000 MKS’s so far this year.
And then I realized the chart says MKZ, and that’s the Fusion clone.
And then I saw that Lincoln only sold 3,000 MKS’s so far. Ouch.
On the bright side, they crushed the Jaguar, the Volvo, and the Lexus.
(I have been somewhat mystified by the MKS all along and have expected it to struggle, but I am surprised how badly it is doing. It is still a nice car, even if it’s compromised.)
Final thought – Let me just point out that the late Mark VIII sold over 14,000 cars in its final year, after 6 years without a major redesign.
“On the bright side, they crushed the Jaguar, the Volvo, and the Lexus.”
Actually no. Lexus as a brand is in more competition with MB. The GS was crushed by the E class.
If MB is to disappear tomorrow, the customer base will come to Lexus and the GS will easily out sell MKS.
Good point – Not all the cars on the chart will be cross-shopped. The Mercedes E-class customers are probably more likely to buy a Lexus GS than a Lincoln MKS, true.
I think the MKS might be cross-shopped with the Lexus LS more than the GS, though. I am not sure why the LS isn’t on the chart. (As someone below already said.)
Someone else already asked so to reiterate, what class are the LS, S class, XJ & 7 series?
To my mind all are full sized (read large) luxury cars.
Like SP, I ws surprised to see how poorly the MKS did in sales. But there are a couple or 3 reasons for it, IMO:
1) Much of the advertising for Lincoln focuses on the MKZ. I don’t seem to notice a lot of MKS ads.
2) Lincoln dealers here in my area (North of New Orleans, in relatively affluent burbs) don’t really seem to push the MKS. I’ve only seen 2 here in the wild, and on Lincoln’s website, a check of dealer inventory within 50 miles only shows 15 or so MKS’ among 6 dealers.
3) Lincoln hasn’t marketed the Eccoboost engine in the MKS. And, none of the inventory in stock is an Eccoboost model. If Lincoln wants to distance itself from Taurus, I believe it should ONLY offer the Eccoboost–make it truly a flagship.
That’s true, I haven’t seen any MKS advertising in a while. I don’t know why you would push the MKZ over the MKS – it’s far less impressive to me – but maybe the Lincoln dealers just want to get people into the showroom with the lower price tag of the MKZ.
I find the car aggravating on one level because it falls far short of what I think Lincoln should be, but on another level, I do like it. It’s sharp-looking in certain colors, like bright red or sparkle black. The Ecoboost is a cool engine, silly name aside. Without the Ecoboost, it’s still a nice car, but makes a lot less sense to me.
I might even consider buying one. I certainly don’t have the money for a new one, but maybe as a used vehicle.
Lexus problem stems from their ability to master the inoffensive, dull, boring, bland vehicle. That is why they have hit the skids.