BMW Claims Sales Victory Over Mercedes-Benz and Lexus

BMW is not only claiming sales victory among luxury vehicles in the U.S. for 2011, it's looking to maintain supremacy well into 2012.

"We have a window to stay No. 1 in the first quarter," says Ludwig Willisch, who just took over BMW's North American operations in an interview with Bloomberg News. "Our model lineup is broad. We have a lot of opportunities to get there."

With Lexus on the ropes due to lower sales in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, both BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been rushing to get to the top of the luxury heap. Now BMW is hoping to get an edge going into next year with its redesigned 3 Series, recently unveiled in Germany.

As of the end of last month, BMW was leading with 219,569 compared to Mercedes' 186,300, according to Autodata.

Source: usatoday.com