MENU
SEARCH
TOKYO - Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz may take over the top position among luxury brands in the United States after a decade of dominance by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, Bloomberg reported. The Japanese carmaker has been marred by record recalls this year for flaws across its lineup.
In the first half of this year, U.S. deliveries of Lexus models grew 19 percent to 107,430, while Mercedes-Benz jumped 25 percent to 106,972. The figures do not include Mercedes' sales of its Sprinter commercial van.
Lexus's market share may dip to 1.98 percent this year from 2.1 percent in 2009, falling behind both Mercedes-Benz and BMG AG, according to auto-industry researcher Edmunds.com. BMW, the world's top-selling luxury auto brand, sold 100,632 units this year through June in the U.S. market.
“It's very likely Mercedes-Benz may take over the lead this year,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends for researcher Truecar.com in Santa Monica, Calif. “The cumulative impact of all the recalls hasn't really shown up yet. It's more likely to be seen in the second half.”
Problems including fuel leaks, engines that may stall and vehicles at risk of rolling over during emergency driving maneuvers surfaced after Toyota had already recalled more than 8 million vehicles under its main brand for defects linked to unintended acceleration.
“It will be a battle,” Jim Lentz, president of Toyota's U.S. sales unit, said in an interview in Torrance, Calif. “The Lexus customer is really discerning about quality issues.”
Jessica Caldwell, a senior analyst at Edmunds.com, said Lexus, Mercedes and BMW are "really neck and neck” in the U.S.
“There is a big opportunity there for the Germans,” she added.
Lexus's U.S. sales growth dropped to 2.7 percent in June while Mercedes-Benz, the second-biggest premium vehicle line globally, posted a 25 percent gain and BMW delivered 15 percent more cars.
Dealers should aim to build a positive work environment, helping employees execute an efficient experience, from their online research to the final delivery of the vehicle.
Read More →
A cloudy April forecast was expected due to last April’s sales surge in anticipation of U.S. trade tariff-inflated prices. Meanwhile, automakers pumped up incentives to address today’s consumer wallet woes.
Read More →
A recent price spike due to several larger market forces, though it hasn’t dulled demand, is pushing more consumers to efficient models to squeeze in buys.
Read More →
A group out West picked up the major D.C.-area collection, putting it in the upper tiers of private automotive groups in the U.S.
Read More →
Lenders loosened access for subprime borrowers, and consumers with negative equity reached a record high, Cox Automotive reported.
Read More →
U.S. consumer interest in electric vehicles lags behind other countries despite the rising gas prices caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Read More →
Research reveals the brands and models most likely to have higher recall rates over their lifetimes. While some brands rank high, addressing safety issues can be a selling point.
Read More →
Cox Automotive data shows Americans doubled down on big-is-better despite price increases. Slightly higher incentives helped fuel the demand.
Read More →
Cox Automotive research shows both the opportunities and the challenges in turning consumers’ growing affordability needs into increased fixed-operations revenue.
Read More →
The partner you choose for growth and expansion is key, because better is the ultimate goal instead of growth for growth’s sake.
Read More →