US sales 2017 Q3: Sports Large and Exotics segment

Krzysztof Wozniak
US Exotic car segment
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Sales collapse of segment-leading Chevy Corvette leads segment to unexpected Q3 sales dropUS large sportsSales of Large Sports Cars and Exotics suffered an unexpected collapse in the third quarter of the year – after declining by around 5% in the first two quarters of the year they fell by 23% in the third quarter. Time will tell if this is a sign of tough times ahead, or possibly a temporary correction after two strong quarters. The lack of new metal won’t help – while the new Lexus LC is proving a big hit with buyers, many of the segment stalwarts are rapidly moving past their “sell by” date (Mercedes-Benz SL, Maserati GranTurismo).

Highlights for Q3 2017:

Lexus LC
  • While Chevrolet Corvette remains the undisputed champion of this segment, its sales fell by over a third in the third quarter of the year, contributing greatly to the segments decline
  • By comparison, the second-placed Porsche 911 enjoyed a really good third quarter, with sales up by 6%, the only existing model other than the Mercedes-AMG GT and the run-out Dodge Viper to see its sales rise
  • After growing healthily in the first two quarters of the year sales of Jaguar F-Type declined by a quarter in Q3’17, suggesting the growth surge driven by the introduction of the four-wheel-drive version earlier this year may be over
  • The most remarkable performance in the segment continues to come from the Lexus LC, which once again outsold the Mercedes-Benz SL, and may yet grab fourth spot in the rankings by the end of the year
  • The worst performance, by comparison, came from the aging Maserati GranTurismo (sales down 69%) and BMW i8 (sales down 76%)
  • After growing nicely in the first two quarters of the year sales of the new Audi R8 and the facelifted Nissan GT-R fell by 40% and 51%, respectively, in the third quarter
  • After picking up pace in the second quarter of the year sales of Acura NSX once again fell below 100 in the last quarter, with the model once again outsold by both McLaren models

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