BMW’s December Surge Solidifies U.S. Luxury-Sales Leadership, from Bloomberg.
BMW boosted December sales 11 percent to hold off Mercedes-Benz and recapture the U.S. luxury-auto sales crown for 2014, as premium brands benefited from a surging stock market, low interest rates and attractive leasing offers.
BMW AG’s namesake brand reported 41,526 deliveries last month, helped by the 3 and 4 Series sedans and the X5 sport-utility vehicle. Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes unit said it delivered 34,009 vehicles, a 3 percent increase, getting a push from the redesigned C-Class and GL-Class SUV.
Annual sales for Munich-based BMW rose 9.8 percent to 339,738, allowing the brand to win back the title it lost to Mercedes in 2013. Mercedes, hampered early in the year by limited inventory for its popular CLA sedan, finished with 330,391, up 5.7 percent, according to its statement today.