BMW overtook Mercedes-Benz in a surprise upset Thursday to grab the crown of best-selling luxury brand in the United States after an incentive-fuelled race to the finish of 2011.
The upset came after Autodata declared Mercedes the champion Wednesday using data gleaned from a “credible industry source” after neither automaker had reported their results on the industry’s standard reporting day.
“I have great confidence that 2012 will be even better especially with the all-new BMW 3 Series arriving in the U.S. in February with more new and refreshed models coming in the months after,” said Ludwig Willisch, chief executive officer of BMW of North America.
With the champion of the past 11 years — Lexus — hobbled by the fallout from Japan’s devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the two Teutonic giants went head-on to snatch the highly visible symbol of automotive supremacy.
Mercedes pulled ahead in November thanks to the launch of its new 2012 C-Class sedan and was expected to end up the victor. But BMW regained the lead and claimed first place with a lead of just more than 2,600 vehicles.
BMW reported Thursday its U.S. sales rose 12.6% in 2011 to 247,907 after posting a 15% gain in December. Mercedes reported a 13.3% gain to a record 245,231 vehicles sold in 2011 after a 28% jump in December sales. Lexus finished a distant third as 2011 sales dropped 13% to 198,552.
BMW raised its incentive spending more than $200 to $3,694 per vehicle sold from November to December, while Mercedes’ average spend remained virtually flat at $3,174, Edmunds.com found. The average discount percentage on a new BMW in December was 11.2% off the sticker price, compared to 9.5% for a new Mercedes, the automotive web site determined.
