[FDMeloan]

April sales of the new 3 Series exceeded the 11,000 mark this month which is a resounding 59.4% increase over the 6,994 cars sold last April. Note that the 325i and 325xi sedans comprised over 57% of total monthly sales.

Lexus IS250 and IS350 sales totaled 4,715 units this month.

Mercedes Benz sold 4,037 C Class units in April, down 10.2% from the 4,496 units sold last April.

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

[FDMeloan]

BMW Group vehicle sales this April increased 12.5% when compared to April, 2005. YTD BMW Group sales were also up 11.3% over first four months of 2005.

Sales of the 7 Series were up 37.4% and sales of the 3 Series were up over 59% when compared to last April.

Sales of the BMW brand were up 23.1% over last April.

This month BMW outsold Mercedes-Benz by 3,980 units and also outsold Lexus as well by 571 units.

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

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

[Lost Rider]

Good news, the more 3's on the road, the more hop-up parts available

[DerekS]

Many thanks for posting this sales info.
What I find especially interesting is the dramatic slowdown in the rate of growth for Lexus sales from last November through the end of April while BMW 3 series and 7 series seem to be accelerating.
The more I see of the Lexus IS250/350, the less I like its styling. After driving a IS250 back to back with an E90, I found the Lexus even less appealing. Perhaps many others share my gut reaction; the downward sales trend seems to confirm that the IS models may have peaked early.
BMW will soon receive another boost from the introduction of the stunning new E92 and E93, so 3 Series sales have potential to grow even more.

[E90330iS]

wow E90s are outselling the IS + C class combined! that should explain which car is better!

[EnI]

BMW 3er: 11,151 (+59.4%) ... 9,023 of E90 sedans (1,572 of 330i; 1,074 of 330xi --> 2,646 of 330)
Acura TL: 7,975 (+14.9%)
MB C-class + CLK: 6,239 (-2.9%)
Lexus IS: 4,715 (+978.5%) ... 1,184 of them IS350
Infiniti G35: 4,652 (-20.2%) ... incl. Coupe
Cadillac CTS: 4,612(-22.5%)
Audi A4: 4,482 (+7.1%) ... incl. Cabrio
MB C-class: 4,037(-10.2%)




Great segment analysis by bmv (member of roadfly):

According to this AutoWeek article, Ken bracht identifies BMW's 3 Series' major competitors to be Acura's TL, Audi's A4, Cadillac's CTS, Infiniti's G35, Lexus' IS & Mercedes-Benz' C Class.


Market Segment as a whole, YTD'06, thru April:

= 154,209 units, vs. 136,916 units in YTD'05, thru April ->

+17,293 units[1], or +12.6%



Segment breakdown, presented as

YTD'06, thru April rank(YTD'05 rank). Car, current market share

where, green = increased market share vs. YTD'05, thru April, red = decreased market share vs. YTD'05, thru April & blue = Segmentführer.

YTD'06, thru April:

1(1). 3 Series, 25.3%
2(2). TL, 16.1%
3(4). C+CLK, 14.1%
4(3). G35, 12.3%
5(5). CTS, 11.6%
6(7). IS, 11.6%
7(6). A4, 9%


In comparison to YTD'05, thru April:

1. 3 Series, 21.0%
2. TL, 18.3%
3. G35, 17.5%
4. C+CLK, 17.2%
5. CTS, 14.3%
6. A4, 10.4%
7. IS, 1.3%



Note.

[1] Segment's change in units.

+17,293 net = +26,273(gainers) -8,980(losers)

=

+16,106, IS
+10,167, 3er
= +26,273

-331, TL
-340, A4
-1,671, CTS
-1,680, C+CLK
-4,958, G35
= -8,980

[THE JEDI]

So who are all these "PEOPLES" talking about Lexus creeping up on BMW :rocks: , gooooooooood gawd the out sold them alomost 3 to 1 :rocks:

[RichReg]

Guys, let's just face facts....
...we own the best car there is in this segment.

Sure, there are both more expensive AND less expensive cars that can do some or most of the things
that the 3 can do, perhaps even a little better.

But none of them can do it all in unison like the 3.

[EnI]

Let's do it again - the ratio analysis for April.

Lexus IS sales:

March 2006: 4,715 +978.5% ... 1,184 of them IS350; 3,531 of IS250
YTD 2006: 17,880 +907.9%

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...2006,+01:13+PM


BMW 3-series sedan sales:

March 2006: 9,023 +113.6% ... 1,572 of 330i; 1,074 of 330xi --> 2,646 of 330(x)i; 6,377 of 325(x)i
YTD 2006: 31,774 +61.7%

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/st...2006,+12:46+PM


April 2006 ratio:

BMW 3er sedan : Lexus IS
9,023 : 4,715
1.91 : 1

(Rember the March 2006 ratio? It was 1.53 : 1)


But let's put both sales numbers on comparable base:
6th full month of sales ratio:

BMW 3er sedan (Dec 2005) : Lexus IS (April 2006)
8,633 : 4,715
1,83 : 1

(1.68 : 1 in 4th full month; 1.71 : 1 in 5th full month)



The ratio between 3er sedan sold and IS sold - on comparable base - is still increasing (from 1.68 in February, 1.71 in March 2006 to 1.83 in April) , not decreasing.

Meaning IS is not catching the 3er sedan, but the opposite: the 3er sedan is increasing the advantage over IS.

[akhbhaat]

Well, with the 335i coming out, the IS350 has lost much of its competitive appeal. It's a technological marvel, but an incredibly boring car to drive.

Lexus will still sell plenty of them, however, as they did the smart thing this time around and built a car that appeals to the average consumer, rather than making another failed pass at the enthusiast market.

[Juve29]

I think the only real competitor to the E90 in terms of sales is Acura.

If you combine both the TL and TSX sales together you get 11886 which makes it higher than the E90.

If you combine both the Lexus IS and the ES you get9318.

Therefore, the real competitor is Acura.

[larryn]

Thanks again Fred! You always come thru.

[THE JEDI]

HOPE I DON'T OFFEND BUT DRIVING A LEXUS IS LIKE SCREWING THAT PORN STAR YA SEE AND YA SAY "HELL YEAH THIS IS GONNA BE GOOD" THEN AFTER YA DONE WITH HER YA GO SHIT THAT WAS ALL HAIR AND MAKEUP ....I.E. MEANING YA WIFE OR GIRLFRIEND(BEING A BIMMER) IS REALLY THE ONE WHO MAKES YA TOES CURL

[mundo74]

This sucks for me, now everone and thier dog drives one

[EnI]

Originally Posted by Ethirtynine

The E90 has been out longer than the Lexus IS. Instead of comparing April sales both cars, can somebody compare the E90's xxth month to Lexus's xxth month? Hope that mad sense

See post #9

[h_curtis]

Originally Posted by Juve29

I think the only real competitor to the E90 in terms of sales is Acura.

If you combine both the TL and TSX sales together you get 11886 which makes it higher than the E90.

If you combine both the Lexus IS and the ES you get9318.

Therefore, the real competitor is Acura.

Well I currently drive a TSX. I will say I really much preferred my e46 330i. I made big mistake in selling that car. I will have to settle for my new 330i when it gets here. I like Acura for some reasons. Good fuel economy vs. power. Seems to be well built, but not the same feel as the BMW. Too noisy while driving on highways. Amazingly noisy on concrete. I don't know why.

Acura make a good car for the buck, but lets face it, BMW is much nicer to drive. As far as repairing down the road, I would imagine Acura will be pretty reliable. I am not sure about the BMW. I sure hope it is a good keeper.

[stressdoc]

Nice analysis GregA!