Lexus IS C Sees High Demand

In May I posted about Lexus' goal sales goal for the new IS C Convertible. At the time, the company planned for a sales number of around 1,600 units per month globally. Lexus had commented that the car's price would be priced under the $40,000 barrier, a number I said was sure to get buyers attention.

Since then the car has gone on sale, with a low price of $38,490 that has undercut all of it's competition. A retractable hardtop convertible from a luxury brand for under $40k? That's a good deal.

Looks like this could finally be a hit product for Lexus. I'm not a big fan of the brand; I have little taste for Toyota-based, high-priced cars that don't have much style. The IS is a standout in the lineup though for it's RWD layout and handsome styling.

Lexus says demand for the new convertible is outpacing supply, and projections have now been raised for the U.S share of global sales. Out of 1,600 units globally, Lexus now expects to see 1,200 of those sales go to the U.S market. Not bad! The IS 250C model is accounting for 85 percent of sales, while the upper-level IS 350C is managing only 15 percent. The low price is what is attracting buyers.

Not surprisingly, the car's manual transmission option is at a paltry 5 percent of all sales. For those who want more power out of the car, you'll have to wait and see if Lexus decides to build an IS F Convertible model. It has been rumored we'll see that model in early 2011.