The first three quarters of 2017 have come and gone. So, which automaker is leading the global luxury sales race so far this year?
Well, the latest figures show that Mercedes-Benz has widened its lead over BMW, thanks to the best third quarter in the company’s history. The Stuttgart-based brand says it has delivered 1 717 300 vehicles to customers since the beginning of the year, a whopping 11,7% up on the same period in 2016.
And BMW? Well, the Bavarian brand says it has sold 1 537 497 units year-to-date, which represents an increase of 3,9%. Audi, meanwhile, fell further off the pace, with its 1 380 800 deliveries some 2% down on the first three quarters of last year.
According to Mercedes-Benz, demand for its range of SUVs is helping drive the record sales, with best-ever unit sales of the GLA, GLC, GLC Coupé and G-Class reported in September. The E-Class, too, posted record sales last month.
BMW reported a similar trend, saying that its SUV family remained “a strong growth driver”, but added that availability of the BMW X3 was “significantly affected by the current model changeover”.
In 2016, Mercedes-Benz grabbed the luxury sales crown from BMW for the first time in more than a decade.
