Lexus Tops Sales in the US, Surpassing BMW and Mercedes-Benz

2022 Lexus NX displayed at the Chicago Auto Show (Photo by Bloomberg)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Toyota's premium brand Lexus surpassed its German competitors to become the top-selling brand in the U.S. market in the third quarter of this year, Bloomberg reported on the 6th (local time).

According to the report, Lexus sold a total of 81,093 units in the U.S. market in the third quarter, overtaking BMW to claim the number one spot in sales. The hybrid sport utility vehicles (SUVs) RX and NX were popular, accounting for more than half of the total sales volume.

During the same period, BMW sold 75,619 units. BMW, which has a production plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, produces popular SUV models such as the X3 and X5 there. The U.S. is BMW's single largest market, accounting for about one-quarter of its total sales.

Mercedes-Benz, which suffered the biggest hit in the third quarter, sold 55,130 units, falling to third place. Benz repeatedly reduced production and suspended operations due to lockdown measures following a resurgence of COVID-19 in its major production base in Malaysia during the third quarter.

Dimitris Psillakis, President of Mercedes-Benz North America, stated, "Despite strong demand, there were some supply issues in the third quarter due to semiconductor shortages."

Earlier, Ola K?llenius, CEO of Mercedes-Benz, had said that sales in the third quarter would decline somewhat due to semiconductor shortages.

At a press conference held ahead of the IAA Motor Show in Munich, Germany, on the 5th of last month, he warned, "The global semiconductor chip shortage may not end next year," adding, "The situation could last until 2023."

Audi also saw a 14% decrease in third-quarter sales compared to the same period last year, recording 41,019 units due to the impact of semiconductor chip shortages. Sales of the electric vehicle e-tron plummeted by 84%.

Bloomberg interpreted Toyota surpassing Benz's sales as meaning that Toyota is responding best to the global semiconductor chip shortage.

Michelle Krebs, an analyst at AutoTrader, evaluated, "Despite having the lowest inventory levels in the industry, Toyota and Lexus were able to respond appropriately to this semiconductor supply chain crisis through an efficient distribution system."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.