Lexus 2007 Year-End Sales Report
January 3rd, 2008 Filed under: Numbers
With the release of the December 2007 numbers, it’s now possible to look at Lexus’ 2007 sales figures as a whole, which contain a fair share of surprises. Here’s the numbers, in a handy-dandy chart:
| 2007 | 2006 | % Change | |
| IS250/350 | 54,933 | 54,267 | 0.9 |
| ES350 | 82,867 | 75,987 | 8.7 |
| GS350 | 21,314 | 23,665 | -10.2 |
| GS460/450h | 2,067 | 3,725 | -44.7 |
| SC430 | 3,927 | 5,847 | -33.1 |
| LS460/600h L | 35,226 | 19,546 | 79.6 |
| Total Cars | 200,334 | 183,037 | 9.1 |
| RX350/400h | 103,340 | 108,348 | -4.9 |
| GX470 | 23,035 | 25,454 | -9.8 |
| LX470 | 2,468 | 5,595 | -56.0 |
| Total Trucks | 128,843 | 139,397 | -7.9 |
| Total Sales | 329,177 | 322,434 | 1.8 |
First off, it’s mind-boggling that the ES 350 & the RX 350/400h account for 58% of Lexus’ total 2007 sales. I say this with full knowledge of their popularity, but it’s startling all the same. Another equally perplexing figure is how low the sales are for combined sales of the GS 430/460/450h. 2,067 would seem low even if you were to subtract the GS 450h, but with it in the mix I find it particularly shocking. This is certainly a case of critical acclaim not meaning much in reality. Seriously, how many would have guessed the GS 450h would be outsold by the SC 430?
The LS model certainly found its stride, outselling its 2006 numbers by 79.6%, the highest increase by far, and no doubt entirely attributable to the LS 460/L/600hL release. I’m sure the LX 570 will inject a similar boost into the LX’s numbers next year.
All in all, there was an 1.8% overall increase over 2006, which results in Lexus retaining its position as the best-selling luxury auto brand in America for the eighth consecutive year (BMW was next, with 293,795 total units sold in 2007, with Mercedes coming in third with 253,433).
[Source: Toyota]
Hmmmm I wonder what Lexus is going to do with the GS. It seems to be weak compared to the competition. I wonder if also they will sell 200/300 Is-f a month like they said on their predictions
Posted by Jarrett on January 3rd, 2008Well, to be fair, GS 350 are ok, but you’re right, the GS isn’t really selling in the same numbers as its competitors.
The BMW 5-Series, in total, sold 54,14 units in 2007, more than doubling the GS’s volume.
The GS refresh has only been out for a couple months, but I doubt it will be enough to boost the sales very much, if at all. The car needs a serious redesign, but I think that’s still a while away (refreshes generally seem to happen in the middle of a model’s run.)
Posted by krew on January 4th, 2008I think it is a marketing issue then a car issue. The GS is very competitive car in the class. What would you do different to make this car sell well
Posted by Jarrett on January 4th, 2008i am glad i contributed to “1″ of the GS sales for December and 2007. Although it goes against the number, but I see more GS on the roads than any other models besides the IS.
we’ve had 4 GS in our office alone, GS300, GS350, GS430, GS460
Posted by kev on January 4th, 2008Jarrett: A very good question, and certainly an idea for a future post.
I think the biggest single reason for the GS’s lackluster sales is the ES. The ES is an overwhelmingly successful family luxury sedan, it really owns the segment. However, it’s awkward to compare the ES to a BMW 5-series, or even the Mercedes E-Class, it’s just not the same type of vehicle. This is where the GS should compete, but in North America, ES sales is simply dominant, and there’s only so many car sales to go around.
When I suggested a redesign, I was speaking more of redesign of direction. For the sake of a laugh, let’s consider the idea of a higher performance ES, something that could honestly compete with the 5-Series and E-Class in power and handling. This would free up the GS to become an entirely different breed of machine that could instead go up against the Mercedes CLS, into that bizarrely named 4-door coupe segment.
I’m going to think more on this, it’s a very interesting train of thought.
Posted by krew on January 4th, 2008Kev: How’s the new car treating you?
Posted by krew on January 4th, 2008You bring an excellent point. The next Gen Es is suppose to move to a rear wheel drive platform. That could allow the GS to compete more with the BMW 5 series and the Mercedes. I wonder how Infiniti is doing with the M series of cars if they had similar numbers as the GS or doing slightly better
Posted by Jarrett on January 4th, 2008It slipped my mind that the next-gen ES was moving to rear-wheel drive. It’s a unique vehicle, really, and also a unique strategy on the part of Lexus.
The ES straddles the line between entry-level & midsize sedan, a bridge between the IS & GS. It’s not something I see from any of the other chief competitors (BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc.).
Posted by krew on January 5th, 2008There are indeed rumors of a RWD sixth gen ES, and if true that would be interesting to see indeed, and the idea of repositioning the GS as more CLS-ish is appealing.
I do think the ES does in some ways target the luxury bridge that the E-Class has between the C-Class and S-Class. Similarly, Lexus execs have stated that the ES is seen as a stepping stone to the LS for some buyers.
Posted by Dan on January 7th, 2008I can definitely see how an ES owner would aspire to a LS, it’s a natural progression. In the same way, an IS owner could aspire to the GS, but I’m not sure that’s the case.
As to where the SC fits in, I have no idea, we’ll see with its next redesign. (I’d like to see it become a true BMW 6/MB SL competitor.)
Posted by krew on January 7th, 2008