Currently the Lexus RX model controls 70% of the luxury-compact-SUV segment, but Audi is trying its best to reduce that dominance with their newest entry the Audi Q5.
From Advertising Age: "Roughly half of the trade-ins at Audi dealerships for the new Q5 are the Lexus RX, Audi Chief Marketing Officer Scott Keogh told Advertising Age at the New York auto show earlier this month."
"Although the pair of Q5 launch TV spots don't mention the Lexus model specifically, rows of the RX appear in both. In the ads, the actors can't locate their SUVs since all the vehicles look alike -- except for the Audi. " more.
Price points on the cars are pretty similar, though, the Q5 is a bit smaller in size and interior space. Audi is building some great products which is giving their product portfolio an overall lift. The Audi brand is gaining some momentum with some excellent products that are not only nipping at Lexus, but BMW too as the Audi A4/A5 are considered formidable competitors against the BMW 3-series. The new Lexus RX borrows heavily from its shared platform sibling, the Toyota Venza. They share a lot of the same interior treatments; though, the exterior of the new RX is quite inline with the RX model DNA, yet it is a bit more egg-like in the new design. So, the new look also may not be helping the Lexus against some formidable competition.
