While this hasn't been enough to turn the IS into a C-Class or 3-Series beater in terms of showroom volume, it has made the IS a more frequently purchased/leased vehicle than the Audi A4, Infiniti Q50, Cadillac ATS, and Volvo S60.
• All 258 Autos Ranked By May 2014 & YTD U.S. Sales
• All 150 Cars Ranked By May 2014 & YTD U.S. Sales
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That BMW will use a sedan, coupe, wagon, convertible, and two four-door hatchbacks to generate all that 3-Series-derived volume doesn't change the vast number of cars the brand sells. (Few automakers break out those kinds of sales figures; Lexus and BMW aren't among the few.)
If we use Cars.com's inventory to make a few assumptions, we see that approximately 73% of BMW USA's in-stock 3-Series/4-Series cars are actually sedans. This translates to approximately, theoretically, and hypothetically 8000 3-Series sedan sales in May. 92% (and growing) of the IS's current inventory is made up by sedans which are powered by just two engines.
This isn't to suggest that Lexus would sell the IS in 3-Series like numbers if only they offered more powerplants (BMW uses six engine configurations) and more bodystyles - it's not as though the IS Sportcross, pictured above, was a particularly common car. Nor are we suggesting that a 335i coupe buyer wouldn't buy a 328i convertible if the bigger-engined, fixed-roof version wasn't available to begin with.
But it does highlight the kind of volume Lexus can achieve with a desirable car even when they've decided to be far less flexible in the way the IS can be built.
We've been here before, to some extent. Lexus sold an average of 52,877 ISs per year between 2006 and 2008, about 9000-10,000 more than they're on pace to sell this year. Mind you, BMW sold 142,490 3-Series' in 2007, a good deal more than they're projected to sell this year, as well.
You can click any model name in the tables below to find historical monthly and yearly U.S. auto sales data. You can also select a make and model at GCBC's Sales Stats page. These tables are now sortable, so you can rank small/entry luxury cars, midsize luxury cars, and midsize-priced large luxury cars any which way you like. Suggestions on how GCBC should break down segments can be passed on through the Contact page.
Click Column Headers To Sort • June 2014 • April 2014 • May 2013
Small/Entry Luxury Car | May 2014 | May 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1629 | 1709 | -4.7% | 7429 | 9217 | -19.4% | |
941 | 1948 | -51.7% | 4744 | 7746 | -38.8% | |
2261 | 15 | 14,973% | 5283 | 813 | 550% | |
Audi A4 ^ | 3450 | 3359 | 2.7% | 15,653 | 16,765 | -6.6% |
Audi A5 * | 1914 | 1872 | 2.2% | 6984 | 7682 | -9.1% |
957 | 638 | 50.0% | 2588 | 2555 | 1.3% | |
10,915 | 9307 | 17.3% | 45,114 | 38,205 | 18.1% | |
336 | --- | --- | 336 | --- | --- | |
2497 | 3249 | -23.1% | 12,552 | 15,724 | -20.2% | |
2698 | 2961 | -8.9% | 10,317 | 19,367 | -46.7% | |
2938 | --- | --- | 15,583 | --- | --- | |
1762 | 1623 | 8.6% | 6816 | 6039 | 12.9% | |
--- | --- | --- | --- | 2 | -100% | |
4403 | 1897 | 132% | 19,641 | 8867 | 122% | |
5284 | 8013 | -34.1% | 27,427 | 38,263 | -28.3% | |
1214 | --- | --- | 8918 | --- | --- | |
1 | 152 | -99.3% | 64 | 858 | -92.5% | |
1814 | 2739 | -33.8% | 8884 | 10,233 | -13.2% | |
553 | --- | --- | 2269 | --- | --- | |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
Total | 45,567 | 39,484 | 15.4% | 200,602 | 182,336 | 10.0% |
Midsize Luxury Car | May 2014 | May 2013 | % Change | 2014 YTD | 2013 YTD | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
324 | 273 | 18.7% | 1855 | 1064 | 74.3% | |
1480 | 2682 | -44.8% | 8026 | 12,434 | -35.5% | |
2151 | 1767 | 21.7% | 9719 | 8047 | 20.8% | |
Audi A7 * | 861 | 701 | 22.8% | 3783 | 3429 | 10.3% |
4752 | 4034 | 17.8% | 19,677 | 21,407 | -8.1% | |
2905 | 2457 | 18.2% | 13,834 | 12,717 | 8.8% | |
--- | --- | --- | --- | 3 | -100% | |
--- | 1 | -100% | --- | 3 | -100% | |
1959 | 2429 | -19.3% | 9797 | 12,450 | -21.3% | |
324 | 257 | 26.1% | 1527 | 1332 | 14.6% | |
398 | 471 | -15.5% | 2346 | 2427 | -3.3% | |
416 | 630 | -34.0% | 3130 | 3238 | -3.3% | |
227 | --- | --- | 592 | --- | --- | |
6523 | 5890 | 10.7% | 27,662 | 27,813 | -0.5% | |
1753 | 2015 | -13.0% | 8611 | 7340 | 17.3% | |
851 | 721 | 18.0% | 4086 | 4206 | -2.9% | |
3714 | 3490 | 6.4% | 15,986 | 11,260 | 42.0% | |
623 | 706 | -11.8% | 2668 | 3041 | -12.3% | |
6168 | 4930 | 25.1% | 28,096 | 23,050 | 21.9% | |
--- | 2 | -100% | 6 | 22 | -72.7% | |
110 | 152 | -27.6% | 834 | 790 | 5.6% | |
431 | 435 | -0.9% | 1777 | 1994 | -10.9% | |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
Total | 32,256 | 34,043 | -5.2% | 164,012 | 158,067 | 3.8% |
* vehicle also displayed in another GCBC segment breakdown
^ BMW USA, not GCBC, has decided to combine sales figures for the 3-Series and 4-Series, the 1-Series and 2-Series. Acura has done the same with the new RLX and old RL.
^ A4 includes Allroad, without which A4 sales were up 6% to 3123 in May; down 4% to 14,034 YTD.
^ Jointly, Q50 and G sedan sales were up 140% to 4632 in May; up 51% to 22,632 YTD, and the Q60 & G37 coupe/convertible was down 3% to 1004 in May, down 25% to 3268 YTD. G sedan sales fell 12% to 1694 in May, down 53% to 7049 YTD. Total G, Q60, Q50 sales were up 90% to 5636 in May; up 34% to 25,900 YTD.
GCBC isn't here to break down segments, an impossible task for any group, but to display sales data for the sake of comparison. The more ways sales data can be displayed, the better, right? This explains why you'll see the Acura ILX here but also with mainstream cars like the Buick Verano, too, and the Audi A5 is also displayed with coupes and convertibles... because readers have wanted it both ways. You can always find the sales results for EVERY vehicle and form your own competitive sets by using the All Vehicle Rankings posts.
RECOMMENDED READING
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - June 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - April 2014 YTD
Small & Midsize Luxury Car Sales In America - May 2013 YTD
Top 20 Best-Selling Cars In America - May 2014
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - May 2014 YTD
Large Luxury Car Sales In America - May 2014 YTD
