Lexus scores big May sales despite safety recalls

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/06/lexus-scores-big-may-sales-despite-lingering-safety-issues/1

Report on the Lexus sales numbers for the month of May.

Quotes from the story:

Toyota's spillover of its safety problems to the Lexus luxury division don't appear to be hurting sales. While sales of Toyota-branded vehicles increased only 3.6% last month, Lexus sales soared 31.3%. Lexus had its best sales month of the year.

Lexus U.S. sales chief Mark Templin says he believes his customers understand that mechanical problems can happen, and they measure a brand by how it responds. The continuing strong sales are a reflection of customers' belief in the brand, he adds.

Lexus' sales increase was due to higher sales of its ES sedan, 24% over last May. The IS entry luxury sports sedan reported combined sales of 3,247 units, up 11.5% over the same period last year. Lexus light trucks saw sales increase 27.2%. Lexus Division sales were led by the RX 350 and RX 450h, which reported combined May sales of 9,116 units, up 22.2% over the year-ago month. With May sales of 1,413 units, GX luxury SUV posted a gain of 111.5% over the same period last year.