BMW And Mercedes-Benz Are Neck-And-Neck In 2018 Luxury Sales Race

But could a third luxury brand be a wildcard?

BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been battling for years for the title of the best-selling luxury brand in the vital and highly profitable US market, especially when it comes to crossovers like the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. Every quarter of every year the numbers are announced, and going into the last few months of 2018 it appears to be a neck-and-neck race, according to Automotive News. It’s been an extremely close race so far in 2018 between the two German luxury brands, with Mercedes outselling BMW by only 319 vehicles, not including commercial vans, in the first nine months of this year.

Why is that important to note? Because the automaker leading three quarters into the year finished first by December 31, a trend that’s happened over the past five years.

Six years ago, however, BMW managed to pull out ahead by year’s end even though it was behind Mercedes by 5,200 vehicles going into October. Can it manage another victory over its main German rival for 2018? It’s totally possible. "BMW really has a legitimate shot at jumping Mercedes," Edmunds analyst Jeremy Acevedo told Automotive News. "They're definitely poised to close strong.”

Mercedes has experienced some delivery delays over the past few months for some of its 2019 models, but sources claim it has since worked out these inventory issues for the specific purpose of wrapping up 2018 as strong as possible. However, there could also be a wildcard suddenly tossed into the mix.

Best example: back in 2012 when Lexus launched its “December to Remember” sale. BMW just managed to squeeze out an end of year victory over its Japanese rival by just 1,422 units. Point being, the luxury car yearly sales race the over till it’s over. Another example from 2012 that further proves this: Mercedes went into December 1,800 units ahead of BMW. And despite also going against that huge last-minute push from Lexus, BMW edged out a victory over both.

BMW And Mercedes-Benz Are Neck-And-Neck In 2018 Luxury Sales Race

But could a third luxury brand be a wildcard?

BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been battling for years for the title of the best-selling luxury brand in the vital and highly profitable US market, especially when it comes to crossovers like the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. Every quarter of every year the numbers are announced, and going into the last few months of 2018 it appears to be a neck-and-neck race, according to Automotive News. It’s been an extremely close race so far in 2018 between the two German luxury brands, with Mercedes outselling BMW by only 319 vehicles, not including commercial vans, in the first nine months of this year.

Why is that important to note? Because the automaker leading three quarters into the year finished first by December 31, a trend that’s happened over the past five years.

Six years ago, however, BMW managed to pull out ahead by year’s end even though it was behind Mercedes by 5,200 vehicles going into October. Can it manage another victory over its main German rival for 2018? It’s totally possible. "BMW really has a legitimate shot at jumping Mercedes," Edmunds analyst Jeremy Acevedo told Automotive News. "They're definitely poised to close strong.”

Mercedes has experienced some delivery delays over the past few months for some of its 2019 models, but sources claim it has since worked out these inventory issues for the specific purpose of wrapping up 2018 as strong as possible. However, there could also be a wildcard suddenly tossed into the mix.

Best example: back in 2012 when Lexus launched its “December to Remember” sale. BMW just managed to squeeze out an end of year victory over its Japanese rival by just 1,422 units. Point being, the luxury car yearly sales race the over till it’s over. Another example from 2012 that further proves this: Mercedes went into December 1,800 units ahead of BMW. And despite also going against that huge last-minute push from Lexus, BMW edged out a victory over both.

Unlike The BMW Z4, The Mercedes-Benz SLC Could Be Living On Borrowed Time

BMW saw what Porsche did with its roadster, but will Mercedes do the same?

As we recently reported, the all-new BMW Z4 partly owes its existence to the Porsche 718 Boxster. It is the latter that has proven there is still indeed a market for roadsters, albeit a small one. Porsche discovered the winning roadster formula and BMW took notice. Unfortunately, the Mercedes-Benz SLC, updated for 2019, doesn’t seem to share the Z4’s good fortune. According to Autocar, the SLC roadster faces an uncertain future due to low segment demand, but this does not mean (at least not yet) a replacement has been ruled out entirely.

“These specialty cars have lost their share in our total portfolio,” said soon to retire Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche. “For a particularly long time, China has led growth, and China shows little interest in cars such as these.”

Fortunately, Mercedes-Benz is still open to the roadster segment, but the conditions need to be right. “Our portfolio is not something defined for eternity. We revisit constantly, and that’s what we’re doing. Any decisions we will communicate in the future,” Zetsche added. The SLC, which until 2016 was called the SLK, originally launched back in 1996. Unlike the BMW Z3 roadster at the time, the SLK featured a folding hardtop, perhaps one of its most signature traits. Unfortunately for the SLK/SLC, the folding hardtop has fallen out of style and its added weight is not something engineers particularly like.

What Porsche and BMW have done for their respective latest roadsters is to keep things simple with a conventional folding soft top. Combined with a dynamic chassis and proper suspension tuning, both the 718 Boxster and Z4 (test drives will get underway soon) offer/promise a thrilling driving experience. Both roadsters are equally comfortable handling the daily commute or a weekend track day event.

Zetsche’s recently named successor, Ola Kallenius, who currently serves as Mercedes development boss, offered a broader outlook regarding the automaker’s thinking: “We’ve had 20-plus years of uninterrupted broadening of the portfolio,” he said. “In 2022, we’ll have 40-plus models. Even if we love every child - and we do - we’ll be rational. We will not hesitate to slim down if we look at the economics. We will look at the next 10 years and cater to where the market is going.”

For now, the Mercedes-Benz SLC is still around but it’ll require some re-thinking in tune with what Porsche and BMW have done in order to keep it alive.

Mercedes-Benz And BMW Will Sell More SUVs Than Cars This Year

Audi did it last year. Now it's time for Mercedes-Benz and BMW to catch up.

Americans have gobbled up SUVs and crossovers at a rapid pace for years, but two of the most prominent luxury brands are now just about to cross a threshold that was already navigated by the industry as a whole back in 2002. Mercedes-Benz and BMW are primed to sell more SUVs and crossovers than traditional cars in America for the first time in history—though their late arrival is not due to a lack of effort before now. According to Automotive News, the German duo have finally identified their sales problems and they plan to take action in a big way.

Two main issues have left the luxury pair at a disadvantage. While some would say selling out of a particular product is a good problem to have, Mercedes-Benz and BMW dealers would likely disagree. Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler told Automotive News the popularity of its GLC compact crossover meant Mercedes-Benz dealers ran out of product to sell—and it happened more than once. A similar situation reared its head at BMW dealers a month prior to the launch of the new X3. Before the next-generation SUV could arrive on sales lots, dealers ran out of previous-generation X3 inventory, which put a damper on the brand's overall sales figures in October.

Both brands at the global headquarters level have pledged to allot to American dealers more inventory of popular models to curb supply issues. A lack of models has also held back both brands in the SUV sales race, which each company plans to address in 2018 and beyond. The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV received a refresh in 2016, which the brand billed as “the S-Class of SUVs” when it was revealed. However, its architecture was merely a warmed-over version of the same platform used by the previous-generation model and not up to the ultra-luxe benchmark set by the S-Class according to those who drove it.

A future GLS, expected to arrive in 2019, is said to up the premium ante—and it may even spawn a Maybach-branded SUV for society's upper crust. Until then, Mercedes-Benz’s most iconic SUV—the rugged 2019 G-Class—will fill the luxury SUV void with its improved, luxury-focused interior accoutrements. The G550 and G63 AMG are both aimed at a more discerning clientele than they have been in the past and will land in dealerships in late 2018. BMW, which only derived 44 percent of its overall sales from SUVs last year, will also bolster its SUV offerings in 2018. It will launch a new X2 crossover this March, followed shortly by a refreshed X4 and X5. A new X7 will arrive in early 2019.

Comparison: BMW M235i VS Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG

They’re closer rivals than you may think.

It may seem odd to compare a two-door, six-cylinder sportscoupe to a four-cylinder, four-door sedan, but the Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG andthe BMW M235i are actually very similar in just about every comparative factor.And while you may expect the Mercedes to be the select choice when it comes toutility, the BMW actually offers more rear legroom and a larger trunk. So whichone is the best choice for enthusiast buyers in the entry-level luxury sportssegment?

Check out Auto Guide’s answer to this question: