C-Class and China prove pivotal in Mercedes’ rise to the top

The rivalry among the German luxury brands shows signs of heating up this summer, as Mercedes-Benz pulls ahead of the pack. For the first time this year, the brand with the three-pointed star took the sales lead with July volumes of 149,753 units. This compares to BMW's 147,513 units and Audi's 146,100 units. Mercedes-Benz also enjoyed the strongest growth rate, with July sales up 15.2% year-on-year, compared to a 5.8% rise at BMW and a mere 1.4% rise at Audi.