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In 2010, the industry's longstanding top three premium brands battled well into the final quarter to determine which would be the U.S. market's top-selling luxury make. It was the first full year of the nation’s economic and auto-industry recoveries, an unusual dimension that helped to make the race a wide-open affair as premium-car sales rebounded with mixed results compared with the industry at large.
This year, though, promises even greater intrigue – and, most likely, a new brand wearing the crown that Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus upscale division has earned for eight consecutive years. A projected lengthy parts-supply constraint from factories in Japan and a new run-up in U.S. gasoline prices will combine to place nearly unprecedented pressures on the luxury-car market this year. And with Lexus, Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s Acura and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s Infiniti premium-car divisions expected to be disproportionately affected by parts shortages from the aftermath from the March 11 natural disasters in Japan, Lexus will find it difficult this year to outsell Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW AG, its closest rivals.
Fully Article: New Dimensions Drive 2011 Lux Market Race - AutoObserver
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