[FDMeloan]

BMW Group vehicle sales this January were up 12.4% when compared to last January.

Sales of the X Series were down 9.8% when compared to January, 2005 while car sales were up 22.6% as the 3, 5 and 7 Series all had a good month.

Sales of the BMW brand were up 14.4% when compared to last January.

This January BMW outsold Mercedes-Benz by 6,805 units but still failed to out sell Lexus which sold a total of 19,658 units.

Last November I added a complete report for Lexus as I believe that the introduction of the new IS250 and IS350 models is going to give the BMW 3 Series a real challenge this year. January sales of the Lexus IS250 and IS350 held steady at just over 4,000 units while the new E90 3 Series sedans totaled 7,411 units. I'm betting that this sales gap will close in the coming months. It will be fun to see what happens.

Please visit my website for the complete Lexus and Mercedes-Benz sales reports.

Please note that I report only the United States sales data.

[Tweak48]

I sold my old car in early December and only started to notice at E90s about that time. Fact is, since that time I have not seen one E90 around here save one going through town with Oregon plates. TL's? Tons of 'em. G35's? lot of those also? Quite a few "C" class Benz's too.

When my new 330i arrives, I'll have a very unusual car!

[Tine]

So, Fred. Still claiming new Lexus IS will hurt BMW sales?

The numbers show no such effect.

I agree IS sales will still rise, but not on 3-series' account. And it will not rise so much after new ES is introduced - I predict new ES will eat some of IS potential sales.

3er sales are not droping - they are rising too (+21%). And new engines to come in late 2006 will make 3er even more attractive.

And Lexus ain't BMW's competitor - it's much more MB's. Nevertheless what Lexus wanted.

It looks like MB's C-class is really more under preasure.
Just look at latest MB C-class sales (-13%) and even Infiniti G35 sales (-19%): they are dropping.

Some also said Lexus GS sales will hurt 5er's sales, but that is not happening either. 5er sales are still rising. But on the other hand MB E-class sales are sinking (also on CLS expense).

[Ghunger]

Originally Posted by Tweak48

I sold my old car in early December and only started to notice at E90s about that time. Fact is, since that time I have not seen one E90 around here save one going through town with Oregon plates. TL's? Tons of 'em. G35's? lot of those also? Quite a few "C" class Benz's too.

When my new 330i arrives, I'll have a very unusual car!

The Seattle area seems to be a very unusual market. Part of it is where I commonly drive (not downtown much) but my experiences are the same as tweak. Last time I saw an E90 was about 3 months ago and the time before that was probably another month or 2. I do see a lots of TL's, G35 coupes, 5 and 7 series though and a few IS's.

[longtran]

Originally Posted by Ghunger

The Seattle area seems to be a very unusual market. Part of it is where I commonly drive (not downtown much) but my experiences are the same as tweak. Last time I saw an E90 was about 3 months ago and the time before that was probably another month or 2. I do see a lots of TL's, G35 coupes, 5 and 7 series though and a few IS's.

that makes owning an e90 more enjoyable. knowing you have a rare car in town.

[Armen52]

Yeah, the E90 is way more rare in the Seattle area than in LA when I visited down there over the holidays.

That said, there are a handful that I almost know by heart around the Bellevue area where I commute most often. SG 330 no ZSP, TiAg325, Black 325 parks at Bell Square, AW 325 seen around Factoria...

[ABR]

A bit off topic: Lexus is broke the record for IS model with 799% sales increase. Last year they sold only 443 cars...

I'm starting to see some IS'es here and there. Suddenly they do not look as hot as at introduction time. It looks a bit bulky in real life.