Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.
With 410 units sold separating the two, Mercedes-Benz edges BMW by a hair in the April luxury light-vehicle sales race.
Mercedes delivered 23,635 units, up 1.6% from April 2012, while BMW sold 23,225, up 5.9% from last year. Neither tally included Mercedes’ Sprinter van and Smart microcar, or BMW’s Mini brand.
Lexus trailed its rivals with 18,091 sales, down 1.1% from year-ago.
The best-selling luxury car in April was the BMW 3-Series with 8,236 units, down 12.2% year-on-year, while the Lexus RX350 cross/utility vehicle was the best-selling luxury truck with 6,365.
Brisk sales of the RX350 weren’t enough for Lexus to win the truck race, however. The Toyota luxury marque sold a total of 8,059 units, but Mercedes again was the leader with 8,651, including 3,280 M-Class models. BMW reported 7,268, including 3,444 X5s.
Lexus truck sales were down 4.6% from year-ago, while BMW posted an 8.3% gain and Mercedes showed a 2.5% improvement over last year.
BMW delivered the most cars among the three, with the 3-Series accounting for more than half of its 15,957-unit total. Overall BMW car sales were up 4.8% from like-2012.
Mercedes’ C-Class, with 7,338 sales, accounted for almost exactly half of the brand’s 14,984-unit total last month. The auto maker’s year-over-year volume was up only a slim 1%.
Lexus delivered 10,032 cars in April, led by the ES350 sport sedan with 3,885 units. Overall Lexus car sales inched up 2% from like-2012.
Year-to-date, Mercedes recorded 92,822 LV deliveries, followed by BMW with 88,127 and Lexus with 74,831. BMW, however, achieved the highest year-over-year gain, up 5.9% for the first four months.
