Become a Member: Get Ad-Free Access to All Our Content

Lexus vs Acura vs Infiniti – 2012 Monthly And April Year-To-Date Sales

2013 Lexus RX350 F Sport

We’ll be hearing about high U.S. sales volumes from most automakers when May sales data is released on Friday, June 1. Before those numbers are released, however, it’s worth finding a bit of luxury automobile sales context from the data already released this year.

It’s starting to seem like it’s been a long time since “Japanese luxury” equated exclusively with the Toyota Cressida. Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti are well-known brands in North America and, particularly in the case of Lexus, becoming more famous across the globe. Toyota’s luxury brand ranks as the third-best-selling premium brand in America so far this year, 23,667 sales ahead of Honda’s premium division, Acura. Infiniti trails Acura by 9631 units, slotting in behind Audi and Cadillac, two brands which don’t sell with quite the same frequency as Acura. 

2012 U.S. Sales Lexus vs. Acura vs. Infiniti

Lexus sales are up less than 3% this year. Acura is up by just eight units. And Infiniti is down 3.6%. The overall new vehicle market has improved by 10.3%. It’s not just mainstream brands that are reporting major gains. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, Maserati, and Bentley have all seen sales improve better than 15%. 

The three most popular Japanese luxury vehicles – sales figures for which are posted after the jump – are down sharply this year. Of the 22 nameplates sold by Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti this year, 15 have recorded declining year-over-year sales. The Infiniti JX, of course, wasn’t on sale at this time last year and thus has no previous year data with which 2012’s 2619-unit four-month total can be compared.

Lexus vs. Acura vs. Infiniti isn’t a battle mentioned that often, mainly because Mercedes-Benz and BMW are far more formidable foes for the Lexus brand. Nevertheless, 26 years after Honda established Acura, the success of these three brands in comparison with one another is routinely similar. Lexus easily beats Acura. Acura easily beats Infiniti.

Sales figures for any premium Japanese car and for any other vehicle currently on sale in North America can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page. A complete rundown of every brand’s April 2012 sales can be viewed here. And every one of the 255 vehicles acquired at least once in America is ranked by year-to-date volume here. Click the above chart for a larger view.

Ranking Automaker April 2012 YTD April 2011 YTD % Change
#1 Mercedes-Benz 88,951 75,146 + 18.4%
#2 BMW 82,611 71,417 + 15.7%
#3 Lexus 66,647 64,932 + 2.6%
#4 Acura 42,980 42,972 + 0.02%
#5 Audi 40,991 35,401 + 15.8%
#6 Cadillac 40,817 53,639 – 23.9%
#7 Infiniti 33,349 34,597 – 3.6%
#8 Lincoln 27,144 27,243 – 0.4%
#9 Volvo 21,265 21,844 – 2.7%
#10 Land Rover 13,951 11,249 + 24.0%
#11 Porsche 10,596 10,179 + 4.1%
#12 Jaguar 4401 3750 + 17.4%
#11 Maserati 834 702 + 18.8%
#11 Bentley 653 439 + 48.7%

Ranking Vehicle April 2012 YTD April 2011 YTD % Change
#1 Lexus RX 24,729 28,850 – 14.3%
#2 Infiniti G 18,278 20,680 – 11.6%
#3 Acura MDX 14,151 14,997 – 5.6%
#4 Acura TSX 12,132 10,650 + 13.9%
#5 Lexus ES350 11,548 12,038 – 4.1%
#6 Acura TL 11,414 10,921 + 4.5%
#7 Lexus IS 8966 9669 – 7.3%
#8 Lexus GS 7054 1488 + 374%
#9 Lexus CT200h 6510 3074 + 112%
#10 Acura RDX 4882 4977 – 1.9%
#11 Infiniti QX56 4431 4015 + 10.4%
#12 Infiniti FX 3525 3770 – 6.5%
#13 Lexus GX460 3272 4443 – 26.4%
#14 Infiniti M 3260 4101 – 20.5%
#15 Infiniti JX35 2619 —– —–
#16 Lexus LS 2101 3157 – 33.4%
#17 Lexus LX570 1855 1199 + 54.7%
#18 Infiniti EX35 1236 2031 – 39.1%
#19 Lexus HS250h 591 978 – 39.6%
#20 Acura ZDX 269 719 – 62.6%
#21 Acura RL 132 708 – 81.4%
#22 Lexus LFA 19 22 – 13.6%

Source: Manufacturers

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand – April 2012
U.S. Auto Sales By Brand – 2011 Year End
Luxury Auto Brand Market Share In America – April 2012
Mercedes-Benz vs. BMW vs. Audi – 2012 Monthly & YTD Sales