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

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%