(December 3, 2011) Mercedes-Benz USA this week reported November sales of 26,796 vehicles, a 47 percent improvement over November 2010 and the company’s highest November volume on record.

On a year-to-date basis, the 219,491 vehicles sold represent nearly a 12 percent increase over the 196,288 vehicles sold during the same period last year.

Mercedes outsold BMW by more than 5,000 vehicles in November, and cut BMW's lead for the year to 1,582 units. BMW sales have risen 12 percent to 221,073 in 11 months. The U.S. market as a whole is up 10 percent.

The two automakers are vying to replace Lexus, which has been the annual U.S. luxury sales leader for the past 11 years.

2012 Mercedes C-Class coupe

"It's going to be a very close race," said Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst with TrueCar.com, a U.S. Web site that tracks auto sales. "Based on the current momentum, I think that Benz has a good chance of winning the race this year."

Mercedes' surge "is somewhat surprising," Toprak said. "I thought BMW had a strong hold based upon earlier this year. They seemed unreachable."

The highest volume performers for the month for Mercedes were the C-Class and E-Class model lines. The all-new 2012 sporty C-Class — the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers — led the pack with sales of 8,358, up 112.7 percent from November 2010.

The 9th generation E-Class followed with sales of 5,095 and the all-new versatile M-Class finished third in volume with monthly sales of 4,796.

The sales results exclude Daimler's Sprinter vans and Smart cars and BMW's Mini brand, which aren't luxury vehicles.

Sources: Mercedes-Benz USA, Bloomberg News