REPORT: BMW Threatening To Oust Lexus As #1 Luxury Automaker In U.S.

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed)
Jun 30th 2009 at 8:01PM

2009 BMW Z4 sDrive35i - Click above for high-res image gallery

Life is hard at the top, whether that precipice happens to be at the top of the overall sales chart or of a specific market niche, such as Lexus' position as the best-selling luxury automaker in the United States. Toyota's Japanese brand has held the top spot since the year 2000, with BMW perpetually trailing in second place. Could 2009 finally be the year that BMW breaks through to number one?

So far this year, BMW's 76,819 total sales in the States puts the German brand slightly ahead of Lexus, which has moved a total of 73,186 units so far in '09. Both brands are down somewhat from 2008, though BMW's 30.5-percent decline is not quite as severe as Lexus' 37.2-percent fall. Neither automaker is interested in boasting of its successes in this market, though BMW will gladly accept the extra market share. Speaking to Automotive News, Jan Ehlen, a spokesman for BMW of North America, said:

This year's emphasis is on maintaining our market share and even growing our share a bit. If this results in remaining in the top spot of the premium market, that would be a nice bonus.

Gallery: Quick Drive: 2009 BMW Z4 sDrive35i

[Source: Automotive News]

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Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)

jake strauss Jul 5th 2009 5:32AM

As a bmw mechanic I understand why they're the most consistently profitable car company in the world, but i still think cars like the new cadillacs and the chevy malibu are better than people give them credit for and are worth investing in. One thing that'll never change, though, is that an Audi is a pile of sh*t.