Pursuits

BMW Holds Off Audi as Race for Luxury-Car Lead Tightens

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Bayerische Motoren Werke AG held onto the lead in global luxury-car sales as demand for 5-Series sedans and X5 sport-utility vehicles helped edge out Audi AG.

BMW delivered about 1,000 more vehicles than Volkswagen AG’s Audi in May as the race for the top spot tightened, according to figures from the carmakers. Through the first five months of 2014, Audi’s sales climbed 12 percent, outpacing BMW’s 11 percent gain. That helped the world’s second-largest maker of premium cars cut Munich-based BMW’s lead to about 8,200 autos from 11,000 a year ago.