New 2015 Lexus NX 200t outsells BMW X3, Lincoln MKC in first month of sales

Before the new 2015 Lexus NX 200t had been launched Torque News predicted it would be a huge success for Lexus. We attended the media preview and coincidentally, had been spending some time in its target in the marketplace, the BMW X3. The BMW X3 is a good vehicle, with a lot of strong points, but it seemed clear that the new Lexus NX line was about shake things up.

The 2015 Lexus NX went on sale this past month, and its availability was limited due to production. A dealer we spoke to said that the NX 200t “Was selling right off the showroom floor” meaning that there was no inventory so to speak. The NX was selling as fast as it arrived at dealers. In a partial month of sales, the NX 200t and NX 300h hybrid version (of which there may not have been any inventory) sold 2,905 units. BMW sold just 2,795 X3s. Neither automaker breaks out the sales by engine type.

Will Lexus NX sales be parasitic to the RX 350?
One important question for the folks at Lexus may have been answered. Would the NX 200t take away from sales of the hugely important, and more expensive, RX 350? If December is any guide, it will not. The RX 350 had a great month as well and was up 3.5% on a volume basis with sales of more than 13,000 vehicles. However, over time, we predict that the NX will impact RX sales.

Other Premium Crossovers
The 2015 Lincoln MKC is also all-new to this premium crossover segment. It has been on-sale since October. In December, it earned 2,310 sales. Given Lincoln’s dire situation this is great news for that troubled brand. Audi’s Q5 led the segment with 4,551 units sold, a decline of about 4% over prior year’s sales.

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