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Lexus released sales figures in China in April, when new car sales reached 21839, exceeding 20, 000 for the first time in a single month, and a year-on-year increase of 46.9%. Cadillac is currently selling about 20,000 Cadillac a month, and Lexus is expected to rank first in second-tier luxury in April.

It is worth noting that the proportion of Lexus gas-electric hybrids is growing, with sales of 7863 units in April, accounting for 36 per cent of total sales that month. The ES is the top seller of Lexus, selling 10629 units in April, exceeding 10,000 for the first time.

However, Lexus did not report cumulative sales in the previous April. In fact, the growth rate of Lexus has slowed sharply since the beginning of this year, falling to about 5% in January and February, and no specific sales were released in March. FIFA data show that Lexus sales fell 14% in March from a year earlier, so it can be expected that Lexus's cumulative sales growth in China in the first four months is not large.

The sudden surge in the decline in sales may have something to do with the reduction in VAT from 16% to 13%. On March 27th Lexus cut the manufacturer-guided price of models sold in China by thousands of yuan to 33000 yuan. According to industry insiders, dealers allowing consumers to pick up their cars in April can further increase sales profits, as the reduction in the VAT rate has no impact on Lexus terminal prices.

In terms of models, Lexus has launched more than 10 models in China, of which ES, NX, and RX sell well. The compact SUV UX launched at the beginning of this year further enriches the product lineup, with an official price of 268000 yuan-371000 yuan, becoming the latest entry-level SUV for Lexus, further lowering the price threshold.

In addition, Weifa and Lexus LM were unveiled at the Shanghai auto show at the same time, since then GAC Toyota is in charge of Elfa sales, FAW Toyota is in charge of Wilfa sales, Lexus ushered in a new model LM, and three MPV models are sold in China at the same time. In the past, Elfa raised the price by about 300000, perhaps the increase in the number of models and sales channels will reduce the intensity of the price increase.

However, the "price increase" has also led to a common phenomenon in the industry. According to the Xinhua News Agency, "it has always been a wayward price increase without invoicing, and Toyota's Elfa has become a 'tax black hole'. According to a survey by Xinhua News Agency reporters, the Elfa price increase of 300000 has not only been illegally charged by customers, but these unreasonable fees are often not invoiced and not accounted for in public accounts, and are suspected of tax evasion. But the reality is that even so, consumers are still flocking to these high-end models.

According to the statistics of Sang Zhiwei, a member of the expert committee of China Automobile Circulation Association, the average transaction price of Mercedes-Benz brand is 479000 yuan in 2018, the average transaction price of Lexus brand is 433000 yuan, and that of BMW brand is 411000 yuan. The average transaction price of Audi brand is 317000 yuan, and the average transaction price of Cadillac brand is as low as 299000 yuan. Lexus's stable reputation and quality have led consumers to recognize its product power.

According to Lexus officials, global sales of Lexus in 2018 were 698330, up 4.5% from a year earlier, while sales in China reached 160468, up 21% from a year earlier. Lexus currently accounts for 5.7% of the luxury car market in China, and plans to increase its share to 10% by 2020.

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