[EnI]

Originally Posted by blackE90

honestly i don't think Lexus is marketing enough...the 3 is established...the "is" not so much

they need to get the word out on their new car

I've read in one article not a long ago that Lexus spent much more on IS advertising then BMW did on E90.

Let's face it: IS is not 3er's competitor. That's just Lexus' wet dream.
Fact: IS introduction hasn't hurt 3er's sales, but other competitors recorded lower sales. Figure it out. They both are stealing it from C-class & Co.

[Ethirtynine]

Originally Posted by ABR

Lexus should be compared to previous month. Last year they sold pathetic 100 cars a months.

What are you talking about?

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by GregA

Are you kidding?

So you think the fact that the IS just came out recently has nothing to do with these numbers?

[kobechrome]

Agreed. Previous IS was disgusting.

[Airboy]

Why would/should anyone here care about how many new IS250/350 are being sold and for that matter, how many of the new 3-series are being sold?

Just wondering.

[SeattleLSB]

Keep in mine Lexus has been running out of cars. That could be the reason for slower sales. I know some people waiting 2-3 months waiting for a IS350.

-Joe

[younghov85]

I have been said that Lexus was falling off. They are not what they use to be. They are trying to hard to be what they are not. It seems like their newer generation of cars dont add up to the last models i.e. the old GS300 compared to the new one. The old one was simple, clean and quick. It also had an inline-6. Now they have changed it with a slow 245hp V6, and a hideous (IMO) exterior. Some love it others dont. I like the interior, but the ex. needs some improvement. The same goes for the new IS300. Good interior, but has an exceptional engine. But its way too small and there is way too much going on inside (feature wise). BMW is great at keeping things simple but still providing the driver with what is imprtant. If anything, Lexus should stick to the simple things and stop trying to create improvements on things that dont need to be improved.

[lux.sh]

Lexus is falling off? Their overall sales are all time high. what are you talking about?

[younghov85]

There SUVs seem to be getting better, and yes their sales are good (i didnt know that good), i just dont like what they are doin with their cars. They seem less durable, like the old GS was a classic, and this one is just ok. They are just following other companies way too much instead of doing what they have done in the past. But true your right if your sales are at their highest, what can anyone say but bravo Lexus.

[poldim]

I was in Courchevel, France, and the entire park, three mountain valleys, were covered with the "New IS" advertisements on practically all the lift posts.

[phantom701]

Originally Posted by Nikki

So you think the fact that the IS just came out recently has nothing to do with these numbers?

Depends on how you look at the numbers. But the most appropriate comparison which was shown here is the month-to-month comparison. The trendline seems to indicate that the gap between the 3-series and the IS is rising.

[Oz]

I have seen many Lexus ads around NYC but none of E90 3 series..I don't think BMW needs to advertise to sell their cars

I don't think this really matters for us anyways All the talk about the new IS really faded in the past month or two...

[lux.sh]

Is it just me that I don't see bmw advertisements alot?
I see more japanese/domestic advertisement than anything else..

I do see alot of BMW on news/papers/magazines and stuff, because its so damn popular and famous.
I don't think bmw need any type of advertisement. The media will do the job for them. Free advertising right there.

[Oz]

Originally Posted by lux.sh

Is it just me that I don't see bmw advertisements alot?
I see more japanese/domestic advertisement than anything else..

I do see alot of BMW on news/papers/magazines and stuff, because its so damn popular and famous.
I don't think bmw need any type of advertisement. The media will do the job for them. Free advertising right there.

I completely agree. I always see every car dealer's advertisement on newspaper and car sale magazines but I never see an advertisement from my BMW dealer nearby..

[Armen52]

Looks like the IS is cannibalizing other Japanese makers' sales more than they're taking 3er market share. That's fine by me.

The reason why I care about these numbers the little bit that I do (I can't speak for the others on here) is it indicates the health of two things:

1) BMW as a company and manufacturer. The better off they are, the longer we will continue to get the coolest stuff from them and they'll continue things like free maintenance (although one could argue that is just factored into the price).

2) The E90 accessories, parts, and service market will be as big if not bigger than the one for the previous 3 series models.

[stressdoc]

I would hazard a guess that of the 3k/mo IS sales (800% increase over last year), a fair number of those would have been E90 sales, maybe as many as 1k. That is a big deal. If BMW could sell 1k more E90s per month that would translate into a substantial increase in profit margin.

Incidentally, since I suggested buying BMW stock last year, it has risen >20%. Even at 40 euros/share I still think it is not a bad investment, and it gives about a 2% dividend depending on which flavor you want. BMW continues to emerge as the car to have on the global scene.

[LEDZEP]

Keep in mind that the new IS has only begun to become available on dealers lots. My neighbor ordered one in October and just got it in February. Have to admit it's a nice car. Some things it has that BMW does not that I like, and visa versa. But I'm happy with my choices.

[shertel]

Originally Posted by GregA

Are you kidding?

7,500 : 3,882 = 1.93 : 1

BMW are selling almost TWICE as much 3er E90 sedans as Lexus ISes.

And I think that is a huge advantage.

If you compare IS' 1st full month sales (Nov 2005), and 3er E90 Sedan's 1st full month sales (June 2005), you'll see the interesting difference:

3er: 6,486
IS: 4,447

The ratio is 1.46 : 1

And then take the IS in its 4th full month (Feb 2006), and 3er E90 sedan in its 4th full month (Sept 2005):

3er: 6,523
IS: 3,882

The ratio is 1.68 : 1

In fact the ratio between 3er sedan sold and IS sold is increasing, not decreasing. Meaning IS is not catching the 3er sedan, but the opposite: the 3er sedan is increasing the advantage over IS.

IS' importance as a threat to a 3er sedan is just overrated.

While I mostly agree with you, I think there is the chance that other forces are at work as well. According to a Lexus dealer in town, they really haven't ramped up production to meet demand. According to him Lexus didn't anticipate the sales levels they are seeing and aren't sending enough to the dealers.

Consider the source, but it just might be true.

[shertel]

Originally Posted by Armen52

Looks like the IS is cannibalizing other Japanese makers' sales more than they're taking 3er market share. That's fine by me.

The reason why I care about these numbers the little bit that I do (I can't speak for the others on here) is it indicates the health of two things:

1) BMW as a company and manufacturer. The better off they are, the longer we will continue to get the coolest stuff from them and they'll continue things like free maintenance (although one could argue that is just factored into the price).

2) The E90 accessories, parts, and service market will be as big if not bigger than the one for the previous 3 series models.

Actually I'm a big fan of competition - keeps us driving the best possible cars. I absolutely love the fact that all the luxury brands are gunning for the 3. I know we all love BMWs here, but lets be honest with ourselves and admit that even BMW can do a few things just a little better.

[vladinecko]

Originally Posted by Nikki

So you think the fact that the IS just came out recently has nothing to do with these numbers?

i agree. you gotta look at the speed at which both sell. even if BMW has almost a double lead right now, if the IS keeps up that tempo they've set, i have no doubts BMW should be afraid of being beat in sales by Lexus.

[EnI]

Originally Posted by vladinecko

i agree. you gotta look at the speed at which both sell. even if BMW has almost a double lead right now, if the IS keeps up that tempo they've set, i have no doubts BMW should be afraid of being beat in sales by Lexus.

That's why I posted the 1st full month sales and 4th full month sales comparison of both vehicles. To show the objective comparison.

And the ratio shows the advantage of 3er sales are increasing over IS sales.

It's not something I made up. It's a statistical fact.

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by kobechrome

Agreed. Previous IS was disgusting.

The previous IS was actually a Toyota-marketed car called the Altezza which was erroneously sold as a Lexus in the US. No one bought the badge-swapping act and sales got worse and worse as the years progressed.

But, make no mistake about it the new IS is definitely a serious 3er contender.

Jon.