Mercedes-Benz says it was the top luxury brand in U.S. last year

Mercedes-Benz and BMW logos

Based on R.L. Polk registration data

Mercedes-Benz North America says it was the most successful luxury nameplate in the United States last year.

At the beginning of the year official manufacturer numbers showed BMW sold 281,460 cars in 2012, while Mercedes-Benz sold 7,326 less units. However, these numbers might not be entirely relevant based on the registration data gathered by R.L. Polk.

Polk mentions Mercedes-Benz posted 274,123 registrations, while BMW had 268,498. Those sales figures from early January are not entirely relevant since some companies like BMW book the sale after the car is shipped from the factory to the dealer. This probably means BMW delivered more cars to dealerships in December to climb on top.

Mercedes-Benz North America chief Steve Cannon accused BMW for using "various methods" to increase sales at the end of the year, adding Mercedes-Benz had been leading BMW for 11 months. He also said the difference between M-B's sales and registrations was 11, while the discrepancy at BMW was 13,000 units.