BMW Defends Luxury Sales Crown With X5 Sport-Utility Vehicle
This article is for subscribers only.
BMW AG defended its position atop the world’s luxury-car market in the first quarter, shipping more of its X5 sport-utility vehicle and 2-Series Active Tourer van.
BMW’s namesake brand delivered 451,576 vehicles in the three months to March 31, a 5.4 percent increase from a year earlier and more than Audi’s sales of 438,250 cars and the 429,602 autos sold by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes, which is trying to gain market share by refreshing most of its SUV range, overtook Audi last month for the first time since December. The Daimler AG luxury brand’s deliveries jumped 16 percent to 183,467 cars, helped by the C-Class sedan and wagon.