BMW finished 2012 strong as the top luxury car brand in the U.S. The automaker sold more than 347,000 vehicles over the course of the 12 months, besting its previous sales record from 2007. This figure also marks an increase of nearly 14 percent from 2011.
The manufacturer saw sales increase for new vehicles, its MINI brand and also pre-owned models that had undergone auto repair to perform as well as possible.
"To turn months of critically short supply into the best year ever for the BMW Group in the U.S. is a monumental achievement..." said BMW president Ludwig Willisch. "The post-recession sales momentum that started in 2010 reached an unprecedented level in December, making us strongly confident and optimistic as we enter 2013."
One of the brands BMW beat out to be the top luxury manufacturer was Mercedes-Benz, which made a strong push toward the top thanks to the biggest sales year on record. Mercedes-Benz reported that 2012 was its highest sales year on record, selling more than 305,000 vehicles for a 15.4 percent growth from 2011. According to Motor Authority, the performance of these two automakers helped the U.S. experience its best year for auto sales since 2007.