Lexus Trails German Rivals in U.S. Luxury Sales in First Quarter

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz topped Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus in the U.S. in March, marking a third straight month the Japanese brand has failed to come out on top after winning the annual luxury race for 11 years.

Mercedes U.S. deliveries, boosted by sales of its E-Class and C-Class sedans, rose 9.4 percent to 21,484 compared to the same month last year, the Stuttgart, Germany-based automaker said yesterday in a statement. Lexus sales rose 2.3 percent to 20,682 from a year ago while Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s namesake brand reported a 12 percent gain to 20,295.