BMW Keeps Mercedes at Bay on U.S. Auto Sales

(Bloomberg) -- BMW maintained its lead over German rival Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. luxury auto market in May, as the all-new X7 paced its lineup of SUVs and the revamped 3 Series tempered the decline in demand for its sedans.

Sales for BMW AG’s namesake brand rose 1.7% to 27,109 units, beating Mercedes’ 0.4% gain to 27,080. BMW has delivered more than 2,100 X7s in each of the first three months it’s been in U.S. showrooms, and updates to the 3 Series fueled a 27% surge in May deliveries.

BMW is now leading Daimler AG’s Mercedes by 3,613 units for 2019. May was the first month the latter brand boosted sales this year as demand picked up for the GLA, GLE and GLC crossovers.

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