Bayerische Motoren Werke AG boosted U.S. sales of its 3 Series cars 63 percent last month, helping the automaker set a June record and narrowing the luxury-vehicle lead of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz.Deliveries of the BMW brand rose 25 percent in June to 27,074, while Mercedes reported a 9.8 percent gain from a year earlier to 24,415, according to statements yesterday. Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus posted a 6.7 percent increase to 21,355.
The monthly results trim Mercedes’s lead this year to 1,519 vehicles as the two German automakers vie for the annual sales crown BMW has held for two years. Through May, Munich-based BMW had trailed Mercedes by 4,178 vehicles. Luxury-auto makers are benefiting from broader lineups with more affordable prices, said Alec Gutierrez, a Kelley Blue Book analyst.
“It’s part of a prevailing trend of near-luxury sales overall,” Gutierrez, who is based in Irvine, California, said in an interview yesterday. “The available lease offers on 3 Series has been a pretty significant driver, too. We’ve seen promotions from the low- to mid-$300s a month. Even the 335 can be had for $400 a month. That’s a lot of car for $400 a month.”
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