Subaru Sales : 2018-23

In 2018, Subaru delivered 1,063,000 cars. With the 2017 total not absolute, the totals were very close to each other. 

In 2019, Toyota increased its stake in Subaru from 16.5% to 20%. That's got to be a big positive in terms of technological sharing but also adds investor confidence in Subaru.

Volume dropped 2% for the year. Early in the year, a power steering defect briefly halted production. Later, a typhoon hit some parts suppliers. For a company that has low inventory stock, it affects sales. The chance for a record year was missed.

2020 was COVID year and a 16% fall was recorded. Despite that, there was a trend in reduced sales. 

In 2021, the Semiconductor Shortage hit, but so did the policy of light stock. Any disruption hits dealers and customers are lost. In stable times, lean stock holding is financially advantageous, in disruptive times, it's problematic.  

For 2022, sales fell further to 801,800 (-7%). Just two factories and a few truly different models seems to have been a problem too. 

Whatever the reasons for the sliding sales, 2023 was much better with 912,450 deliveries (+14%). With the two plants running at capacity, things turned out much better. 

What about 2024? Click in the Label 'Brand - Asia' or go directly there by clicking here.

Data source: Subaru.

Below are deliveries by region or country in thousands from 2015 to 2023. For example,  the USA went from 582,000 to 632,000. China went from 47,000 to 8,000.

The chart below turns figures into percentages. Nearly 70% of deliveries go to the USA. China is now under 1%. 

Lexus Deliveries : 2017-23

Toyota started releasing delivery figures for Lexus in 2017. That year was 9,100 short of 2016, a 1% reduction. The fifth generation LS was released, with a 3.5 litre turbo V6 replacing the V8 from previous iterations. It also came with a new platform and hybrid system.

In 2018, the small UX crossover arrived. In addition, the seventh generation ES hit the road late that year. deliveries were up 4% to just under 700,000 units.

2019 had to be good after the platform laid the year before and it was. 765,300 sales and a 10% gain. The 10 millionth Lexus vehicle was sold. The RX was updated as well. 

The LM premium MPV joined the model range, but COVID hit and by the end of June,  deliveries were down 16%. They recovered to -6% by the end of the year. Lexus' first EV was released, the UX300e to selected markets. The GS sedan was discontinued.

For 2021, 760,000 vehicles found new homes to call their own. The second generation NX came late in the year. It was also released with a hybrid variant, the marque's first ever. The return of a V8 in the IS 500 seemed out of touch with the trend to downsize motors but it proved popular. 

2022 was a tough year for Lexus. A semiconductor shortage caused waiting lists as the company couldn't supply the vehicles required. Lexus' released the top selling fifth generation RX and the marques first dededicated EV, the RZ. The timing meant that the full benefit was lost. Deliveries slumped 18% to 625,400.

In 2023, supply got back to normal and sales leapt to a new record of 824,300. An increase of 32%! Japan was up 129%, Europe 46%. 

How did the following year go? That can be seen by clicking here.

Data source: Toyota Group. 
Photo source: Netcarshow (RX above, RZ below).

Audi Brand Global Deliveries : 2025-26 (Q1-Q3)

After a 2025 where deliveries were down 3%, 2026 has accelerated that trend. Q3 was down 20%, which was a severe hit on volume. Nine month comparison has Audi -11%

Audi has cut the small A1 and Q2 models, with the A3 now the introductory model. It is heading upmarket but that will inevitably reduce delivery numbers but hopefully increase margins to compensate.  

Data & photo source: Audi (A5 & Q5).

Regions: What may surprise is North America. As we see below, the US is down 16%. US tariffs must have had an effect and with no manufacturing there, Audi has been left exposed. To a some extent, the end of electric car subsidies would also add to the reduction in units sold.

China simply isn't a market foreign brands can rely on and that continued with a 24% drop in deliveries, which is hardly surprising. Europe and Germany are a bright light, currently responsible for half of total deliveries. 

Segments: This odd data breakdown from Audi is a departure from all models being listed. It does at least show that the larger models are the ones that are mainly pulling down sales.