Mercedes-Benz posted record July U.S. sales and widened its lead in the U.S. luxury race. Mercedes’ sales climbed 3.6 percent to 28,523, boosted by a 47 percent gain for its GLC and GLK sport utility vehicles. In contrast, BMW’s sales fell 4.4 percent to 25,777 while Lexus posted a 6.5 percent decline from a year earlier to 27,890.
Mercedes now leads it rivals by more than 11,000 units and it’s on track to take the crown from BMW.
BMW’s outgoing 5 Series model has reported great sales – 51 percent increase compared to the same month last year. The 7 Series’ sales also rose by 31 percent to 1,203. The BMW SUV sales were in decline though, 4.4 percent, with the X5 posting a 54 percent slide to 2,744.
In July, Mercedes’s volume leaders were the C-Class for cars, with a 1.3 percent decline from a year earlier to 6,304, and the GLE for sport utility vehicles, with a 15 percent increase to 4,412.
Lexus’ SUVs generated a July record – 15,455 sales, up 2 percent from a year earlier, as the RX gained 3.1 percent to 8,522. The brand’s car deliveries tumbled 15 percent to 12,435.
For the year’s first seven months, none of the luxury brands posted a gain from a year earlier, with declines of 0.6 percent for Mercedes, 4.9 percent for Lexus and 8.4 percent for BMW.
Audi achieved its best July in the brand’s U.S. history. The previous July record was set in 2015 with sales of 17,654 vehicles. Year-to-date sales have risen 3.6 percent to 115,298 vehicles sold. Sales of Audi SUV models remained strong in July, with a 15 percent increase over last July and a 22 percent increase year-to-date.
