Tag Archives: MimboloveAcura

BMW Wins U.S. Luxury Sales Crown By Less Than 4,000 Units

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2020 was a year most automakers would like to forget and that’s especially true in the luxury segment as every single brand posted a decline in U.S. sales.

However, the luxury sales crown is a closely watched contest and only a few thousand units separated BMW, Mercedes and Lexus last year.

BMW took top honors as they sold 278,732 vehicles in the United States. That’s a drop of 17.5%, but it’s worth noting the automaker was fined $18 (£13.3 / €14.7) million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for inflating their sales between 2015 and 2019.

Also Read: 2020 Was Brutal For Automakers As Many Post Decline In Sales

Second place went to Lexus which sold 275,041 vehicles last year. That’s a decline of 7.7% and the drop can be partly attributed to weak sales of the ES and RX.

Rounding out the podium is Mercedes. They sold 274,916 passengers vehicles – excluding vans – for a drop of 13.0%. C-Class sales plummeted 46.5% for the year, while sales of the E-Class / CLS and S-Class were both off by more than 30%.

Over at Audi, sales dropped 17% to 186,620 units. Their big losers were the A4, A6 and A7 which all saw declines of between 31-42%. On the bright side, Q3 sales skyrocketed 84% for the year.

Acura came in fifth place with sales of 136,983 units. That’s a decline of 13.5% and that can be chalked up to weaker demand for the outgoing TLX and MDX.  However, both models are new for 2021.

The final two spots go to Cadillac and Lincoln. Cadillac sales were down 17.1% to 129,495 units, while Lincoln sales were off 6.1% at 105,410 units.

Lincoln sales will likely drop again this year as the brand has axed the MKZ and Continental. While they were Lincoln’s slowest selling vehicles, aside from the MKT, they still contributed 17,780 units to the bottom line last year.

Lastly, Infiniti sales were down 32.5% to 79,502 units. The drop was largely due to a decline in Q50 and QX60 sales which were off 36.4% and 47.0%, respectively.

This Acura NSX-Based Faux-errari Is A Driveable Faux Pas

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Faux-erraris are a dime a dozen, but they’re usually based on models such as the Pontiac Fiero.

That’s not the case with this LaFerrari knockoff as it’s actually a 1992 Acura NSX in disguise.

Dubbed the Venenza, the car has been given an extensive makeover as its virtually unrecognizable as an NSX. The front end is all-new and features a wide air intake, Ferrari-esque headlights and a ventilated hood.

Also Read: You’d Be Hard-Pressed To Tell This Ferrari Is Actually A Toyota MR2, Until You Hit The Gas

Further back, there are scissor doors and revised bodywork. The model also features some ghastly wheels and a rather unconvincing recreation of the LaFerrari’s rear end.

On the bright side, the interior is relatively stock and appears to be in good condition. The only notable exception is the glorified sticker on the steering wheel.

The listing is light on specifics, but it says the transformation took four years to complete. It also noted the car has 75,000 miles (120,700 km) on the odometer and is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine that produces approximately 300 hp (224 kW / 304 PS).

That seems to suggest the stock powertrain carries over as the 1992 Acura NSX was equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 that produced 270 hp (201 kW / 274 PS) and 210 lb-ft (284 Nm) of torque when connected to a five-speed manual transmission.

The car has a buy it now price of $110,000 (£84,177/ €93,638) and the seller says they have “driven many of the exotic car replicas and lame (sic) away with one conclusion, they were mainly all show and no go.” They go on to note this car is “different” as the “driver sensation is fabulous” and the “exhaust sounds F1ish.”

more photos…