2016 Lexus NX200t just became the leader in premium compact crossover segment sales

The premium/luxury compact crossover segment is heating up for 2016. Every major player in the U.S. market now has an updated and well-designed vehicle competing for sales. For the year to date ending February 29th, the Lexus NX200t has garnered sales of 6842 units. This sales result puts Lexus ahead of the Audi Q3, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Lincoln MKC. However, unlike with the RX 350 and the ES 350, Lexus is in a dogfight for this top position.

For many months, Audi’s Q5 was the sales leader. Its 5,112 year to date sales are impressive, but it is now in third place. Mercedes is the surprise number two with 6,043 units sold in 2016. Interestingly, the BMW X3 has come back from the dead in terms of sales and was the top-seller for the month of February with 3,733 units. It beat Lexus by 24 (3,709 sold in February). That is an astoundingly close sales race. Both Lexus and BMW were also on the climb, with Lexus up 25% over its 2015 year to date and BMW up 28%.

Lexus came late to the compact crossover party. Its NX 200t also has an all-new engine and shares very little with the RAV 4 from Toyota. As of late the NX 200t has received a lot of press. It was called a “Best Buy For The Money” by U.S. News, and Consumer Reports gave it both a “Worst Pick” and “Recommended” rating. For our part, we went to the NX 200t product launch a while back and said it would “Dominate the Premium Crossover Market.”