Mercedes-Benz to Top BMW in Sales This Year
Pulling no punches, Steve Cannon, the CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA said they will be wearing the luxury sales crown in America for 2013. He also said “…when we beat BMW, it will be based on natural sales [and] great execution.” Those sound like fightin’ words to us.
Hopefully Cannon is prepared to eat crow, to dine on raven, because fewer than 3,000 units separate the two brands through September of this year, with Mercedes in the lead. It’s possible the Bavarian brand could top their Swabian adversary.
However, Mercedes has a couple important aces up its corporate sleeve. The brand just released a freshly minted version of its S-Class flagship sedan, plus they’re launching the compact CLA-Class to compete in the entry-level portion of the luxury market.
Last year the story was much the same. The Benz boys led BMW by some 1,800 units going into December 2012, but thanks to a last-minute fire-sale the Bavarians were able to pull ahead and win the gold medal.
Responding to this, Cannon said “We’re not going to play that game. No shenanigans.”
BMW was the top-selling luxury brand last year and in 2011. Before that Lexus was the sales leader for 11 consecutive years.
Along with other fresh products, will a new S-Class and CLA be enough to propel Mercedes-Benz into the No. 1 spot in the U.S.? With only about two months left in the year we don’t have that long to wait to find out.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Born and raised in metro Detroit, Craig was steeped in mechanics from childhood. He feels as much at home with a wrench or welding gun in his hand as he does behind the wheel or in front of a camera. Putting his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism to good use, he's always pumping out videos, reviews, and features for AutoGuide.com. When the workday is over, he can be found out driving his fully restored 1936 Ford V8 sedan. Craig has covered the automotive industry full time for more than 10 years and is a member of the Automotive Press Association (APA) and Midwest Automotive Media Association (MAMA).
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