Mercedes reported that sales for the year through June gained 10 percent to 141,950. BMW said its deliveries for the period rose 11 percent to 140,431. The figures don't include Daimler's cargo vans and Smart cars and BMW's Mini brand, which aren't luxury vehicles.
Luxury automakers are benefiting from broader lineups with more affordable prices, said Alec Gutierrez, a Kelley Blue Book analyst. "It's part of a prevailing trend of near-luxury sales overall," said Gutierrez, who is based in Irvine, Calif. "The available lease offers on 3 Series has been a pretty significant driver, too. We've seen promotions from the low- to mid-$300s a month. Even the 335 can be had for $400 a month. That's a lot of car for $400 a month."
Sales of BMW's 3 Series surged to 10,957, helped by the new 320i, which starts at $32,550. BMW introduced the redesigned 3 series in February 2012. Mercedes was led by gains of 17 percent to 7,639 for the C-class sedan and 37 percent to 2,806 for the GLK-class SUV.
Lexus reported a monthly increase of 50 percent for the ES sedan. Toyota's luxury brand said it sold 118,415 vehicles this year through June, up 9.5 percent. Lexus was the annual U.S. sales leader for 11 years until natural disasters in Asia curtailed 2011 output.
BMW's status as annual leader for 2012 is based on reported sales. Based on vehicle registrations, Mercedes topped BMW last year, according to researcher R.L. Polk & Co.
General Motors Co.'s Cadillac luxury-brand deliveries rose 15 percent in June to 13,929 on demand for the new ATS and XTS sedans. Those models accounted for 42 percent of monthly sales. Through June, Cadillac sales climbed 33 percent to 83,679, GM said.
U.S. sales of Volkswagen AG's Audi brand rose 8.2 percent to 13,706, according to a statement. June was the brand's 30th straight month of record sales. The gains included 13 percent for the A5 sedan and 26 percent for the Q5 SUV. Sales for the year have risen 14 percent to 74,277, Audi's best first half since it began U.S. sales in 1970.
Porsche, which is now part of VW, posted a 23 percent gain in June to 3,700 vehicles in the U.S., a record for the month. Honda Motor Co.'s Acura sales fell 10 percent to 13,765 last month, the company said. Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti slid 13 percent to 9,114, according to statement. Ford Motor Co. sold 7,469 Lincolns in June, a 1 percent decline from a year earlier, the automaker reported.
Land Rover sales dropped 3.7 percent last month to 3,468, while Jaguar surged 59 percent to 1,637. The U.K.-based brands are owned by Tata Motors Ltd., which has its headquarters in Mumbai.––Paul Duchene
