Like the Saviors They Are, Two Compact Crossovers Lifted Their Struggling Brands in October

It might not be the reality we want, but it’s the only reality we have. As car sales continue to dwindle (they’re down to roughly 30 percent of new vehicles sold), light trucks have picked up the torch at most brands, though some aren’t arriving fast enough to satisfy jittery executives in today’s stagnating market.

At two premium Japanese brands, the arrival of two crossovers in the scorching compact segment had exactly the effect their creators hoped for. Acura and Infiniti, faced with declining sales in recent years, had reason to smile in October. The recipe is working.

Acura’s third-generation RDX burst onto the scene this summer with a fairly aggressive level of content and a splashy launch that featured journalists getting tail-happy in the turbo, 10-speed ‘ute. This, plus the vehicle’s edgier design, clearly drew the attention of CUV-hungry buyers.

In October, the RDX posted a sales increase of 75.3 percent, year over year, with volume up 18.9 percent, year to date. It’s the only high-volume Acura model not in the red on a YTD basis (the RLX doesn’t count). The RDX’s 6,193 sales last months makes it by far the best selling model in the lineup, and October was the model’s second-best sales month after June 2018.

As for the Acura brand, the RDX’s performance was more than enough to compensate for a slipping MDX and TLX, the second- and third-best selling Acura models. Year over year, the brand rose 7.3 percent in October, and volume over the first 10 months of the year is now in the black, up 1 percent. (Acura nudged above this mark in September.)

It was a similar story for Infiniti. In late spring, the brand launched the redesigned QX50, a model bearing the unique VC-T four-cylinder engine. Whether it was the new skin or the variable compression mill, buyers responded in comparative droves for a model they were never all that fond of. Sales rose — wait for it — 141.8 percent last month, and there wasn’t anything weird happening in October 2017 to diminish the victory. Last month was by far the QX50’s best sales month, with the model’s 3,160 sales falling just short of the top-selling QX60. Year to date, QX50 sales are up 41.6 percent.

With the QX50 selling in greater numbers and the refreshed QX80 land barge posting its own 101.5 percent YoY increase, Infiniti’s volume rose 15 percent compared to the same month a year ago. This, while the Q50, Q60, and Q70 continue their respective declines.

While October’s light truck sales were good news for Infiniti, the brand hasn’t yet managed to pull its overall volume into the black. However, it’s getting there (though perhaps not by the end of the year). Through the end of October, Infiniti sales were 5.5 percent shy of last year’s marker — but compare that figure to September’s 7.4 percent YTD loss, or August’s 8.2 percent drop.

As for Toyota’s Lexus division, no new crossovers showed up to lure new buyers. The RDX and QX50’s main rival, the Lexus NX, saw its sales fall 7.9 percent last month. Year to date, the NX has a slim lead of 2.5 percent over last year’s YTD figure.

[Images: Acura, Infiniti]