Mercedes Edges Out BMW For 2013 U.S. Luxury Car Sales Crown

Mercedes-Benz has ended 2013 with the sales crown for luxury autos in the U.S., with 312,534 units walking out the door over the past 12 months. This represents a 14 percent increase from the274,134 units sold in 2012 and is a new record for the brand. When you add sales from Smart (9,264) and the Sprinter Vans commercial unit, the figure rises to 343,614 units, up 12.6 percent from the 305,072 units sold in 2012.

Despite a brand new model being just around the corner, Mercedes’ C-Class remained the brand’s best seller, with 88,251 units sold in 2013. It was followed by the E-Class (69,803) and M-Class (41,326) as the second and third most popular models, respectively. The CLA-Class also proved a big hit, with the stylish four-door coupe racking up a reasonable 12,000 sales in just its first four months on the market.

Former sales leader BMW also enjoyed record sales in the U.S. in 2013, with BMW-branded vehicle sales totaling 309,280 units, up 9.9 percent on 2012’s tally of 281,460 units. Including the 66,502 units sold by MINI, the sales figure for the BMW Group in the U.S. comes in at 375,782 units, up 8.1 percent on the 347,583 units sold in 2012.

Perennial leader Lexus finished 2013 in third position with 273,847 units sold, up 10.8 percent from the 244,166 it sold last year.

Though it only ranked sixth for overall sales, Audi still managed a record result for the fourth year in a row. The brand with the four rings managed sales of 158,061 in the U.S. in 2013, up 13.5 percent from the 139,310 units sold in 2012. Another luxury brand worth mentioning is Porsche, which sold a record 42,323 units in the U.S. in 2013, which was a staggering 21 percent higher than the previous record of 35,043 units set in 2012--and that's without the stylish and somewhat affordable Macan in showrooms.

Global sales figures will be released in the coming weeks. BMW is expected to remain the most popular luxury auto brand for 2013, but with Audi and Mercedes-Benz close behind.

_______________________________________

Follow Motor Authority on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.