BMW Sales On Track To Pass Lexus

I've said over and over again that the recession is rearranging the automotive landscape significantly, in some ways permanently. Lexus has been the darling of the automotive press and the motoring public for years, and sales numbers have followed suit, with the brand being the Number 1 luxury brand in the United States since 2000.

Lexus has been particularly hit hard; for the first five months of the year, sales have been down 37.5 percent. In comparison, the number 2 brand, BMW has seen it's sales decline by only 30.5 percent.

For the beginning of the year, that figure is good enough to make BMW the best-selling luxury brand in the United States. In terms of actual numbers, the results work out to 76,819 BMWs versus 73,168 sold at Lexus. BMW hasn't been the best selling luxury brand in the United States since 1997, so that is a significant milestone.

The real test will be how the sales numbers work themselves out once the economy and the auto market begin to recover. Something tells me Lexus' problems are a more systemic and a result of deeper problems, but time will tell. In the meantime, BMW is looking to gain out of this (at least when it comes to market share).