Xover sales numbers

[jmess]

First 9 months of 09.

http://www.autoobserver.com/Pr...l.gif

Pulled from this:

http://www.autoobserver.com/20...#more

[EXceptional]

Infiniti's Chung said one problem with luxury crossovers has been optimistic mixes of high-content vehicles. It has been an Achilles' heel for more than one model in the segment, and Chung said Infiniti's compact EX35 was a victim.

The EX35 and Acura's RDX could be the poster children for the indifferent performance of compact luxury crossovers. The EX35 sold 12,873 units in 2008, its first full year on the market, and sales this year have struggled to just 5,316 through September - less than 600 per month.

Chung said the EX35 was hurt by a the fact Infiniti had scheduled an industry-typical rich mix of initial vehicles, but "the economy fell out in the first part of the launch." And he said many makers have had to take second and third looks at the mix for both midsize and compact crossovers in response to market conditions.

"We're very comfortable with the volume (of EX35) we're selling now," Chung said.

But price points seemingly have become an issue, particularly for the slow-selling compacts: Acura added a front-wheel-drive RDX model for '10 to knock down the starting price to $35,520. Infiniti's base EX35 has cloth trim.

"When the economy fell out, everybody had to adjust," said Chung. "It magnified any type of mix issues."

[specialist23]

i think that these would sell a lot better if there wasn't such a HUGE lack of overall interior space. we've all read the complaints and i'm for one as well to say that the interior is just way too cramped. we took it for a short weekend trip and it was only about 120 miles away and even with just 4 of us in the car, all short and underweight, one of them being our 5 year toddler, it still felt very small and the gas mileage sucks big time.

also the fact that right now you can get the fx for a little more, why would anyone go with the ex? btw, we got better mpg on our 05 fx than our 08 ex. no joke...just an fyi.

[scottt]

Great info. The EX does not fit most peoples needs, it is a nich vehicle. It is perfect for my wife and I, we are empty nesters and wanted a small vehicle, the FX was too big for us. Our EX35 RWD gets around 20MPG combined, I do not feel it's bad, we love the performance. Bottom line, I'm happy Infiniti has choosen to build a vehicle for my nich market, some of us don't want mass market vehicles, don't want to see our car everytime we hit the road. I would feel different if we took four people in the car on a regular basis. We only take one or two. We were considering the BMW 1 and 3 series, the G37 coupe and sedan when we decieded the EX gave us everything we wanted. They sell hundreds of thousands of Honda Accords, that was the last car we wanted!

Scott

[EXceptional]

I agree with Scott.

A lot of Days go by, between sightings of another EX35... and we like it that way.

[clarkyoung]

Not quite understanding why XC60 got better #. Tried both XC90 and XC60, both are like "drifting bathtub" - the feeling of the road is so off and even the brakes are slow.

[OneOfOne]

the reason why these luxury crossovers dont sell is because they are too expensive by about 25%. if they cost that amount less than they do now and werent loaded up by the dealers then they would sell more. complaining about size in these things is just stupid. if you want size you get the next size up.

[Mark Booth]

Size schmize! The EX is SUPPOSED to be smaller than an FX. And, at 6 feet, I find the EX has PLENTY of room up front. No kids and VERY few rear-seat passengers, so to hell with size worries! Anybody who bought one and THEN discovered it was too small is...well.. not paying very much attention!

As for the FX.... too damn ugly! Seriously! The EX is a much more attractive vehicle.

Mark

[EXceptional]

Agreed !

The FX Grill has Teeth... and the back-end looks like a Fat ***.

[rontek]

Too bad that "Fat ***" is the only view an EX will ever get to see of my FX50s!

Sorry EXceptional, I could not resist!
Modified by rontek at 6:40 AM 11/3/2009

[EXceptional]

With these slight differences, I'll keep my EX35, thank-you...

2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD Journey 0-60 mph 6.1 Quarter mile 14.4

2009 Infiniti FX50S 0-60 mph 4.9 Quarter mile 13.4

Taken from --> HERE <--

[JCL622]

With these slight differences, I'll keep my EX35, thank-you...

2008 Infiniti EX35 AWD Journey 0-60 mph 6.1 Quarter mile 14.4

2009 Infiniti FX50S 0-60 mph 4.9 Quarter mile 13.4

Taken from --> HERE <--

that's a HUGE difference...... i mean one is a high 14's car and one is a 13 second car....even .5 of a second faster would have been a big difference

however, that's not really the reason you would buy an EX....maybe if you were gonna compare the FX50S to well...i mean for a little bit more than the EX the SRT8 Jeep is right up there...

there's a reason why our cars exhaust is detuned, it was never meant to be FAST...it just happens to be descended from a family of fast engines.

anyway i wonder if Xover sales will jump up as we really get into cold weather season

[rontek]

I was not trying to dump on the EX in any way, (I owned one for over a year), I was just making a light hearted response to the "Fat ***" comment.

As for Xover sales, I am sure they will increase slightly as we head into colder weather. More manufacturers are coming out with Xover models in the luxury market (Cadillac, Mercedes, Audi), and others as well, (GM, Subaru, etc). I think the Xover is becoming the replacement for the "Mini Van", and for owners that dont want the added size and gas costs of an SUV. Because the econnomy sucks, and the Govt incentives and Tax breaks here in the US are gone, I would not be surprised if the "Used" Xover market becomes more popular than new. I know when I traded my EX for the FX, the dealer sold it within 2 weeks, and that was when Cash for Clunkers was still in effect.

Ron
Modified by rontek at 5:55 AM 11/5/2009

[scottt]

How can you say the EX35 is 25% overpriced? I payed less for a EX than I would have paid for a G37. My wife and I liked the interior of the EX more and like the flexability of the EX over the G, we also prefered the seat comfort and ride height of the EX. I think the EX is infiniti's best value, at least for those that need a vehicle of this size.