Pursuits
Mercedes Outlasts BMW’s Late Surge to Capture U.S. Luxury Crown
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Mercedes-Benz withstood a December surge from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW, ending its rival’s two-year reign as the top-selling U.S. luxury vehicle brand, as the breadth of Mercedes’s lineup pushed it to an annual record.
Daimler AG’s Mercedes posted a 17 percent gain last month with 33,007 deliveries, led by the new entry-level CLA, and revamped mid-size E-Class and premium S-Class cars. For the year, the brand’s sales rose 14 percent to 312,534, or 3,254 more than BMW. Daimler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche said in July he expected his company to come up short in 2013.