End of Year Luxury Battle Means Deals for Shoppers
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A battle has quietly been waged over the last year, with the prize being the sales crown for luxury cars here in the U.S. For most of this century, that title has been solidly in the hands of Lexus, but the Japanese earthquake and tsunami tragedy of 2011 left the brand with pinched inventory, allowing BMW to take the crown for the first time in more than a decade.
Now, as 2012 comes to a close, the sales champion title may be changing hands again, as Mercedes-Benz has been successfully pushing hard all year to become the top-selling luxury brand in the U.S. — a fight BMW has vowed not to give up on.
This brand battle is a good thing for car shoppers.
With just a handful of days left until the numbers are wrapped up, these luxury brands have been putting some serious effort into pulling buyers into dealerships in the hopes that they will leave with what could be someone’s epic holiday gift. Believe it or not, luxury cars actually are given as gifts this time of year — Lexus really does stock up on the big red bows from its TV commercials.
Assembled here is a brief roundup of some of the more attractive incentives being offered by the top luxury brands for December. The majority of luxury cars are still leased not purchased, and the incentives tend to favor leases. Automakers focus incentives for these models accordingly, aiming to lower monthly lease payments rather than the starting price. With that in mind, here are some of the better offers, and Cars.com’s picks for the best values out there.
This is the biggest segment in the luxury arena — the bread-and-butter of the luxury brands — and one of the more hotly contested groups. Get a buyer in your compact model and the thinking is they’ll stick with you, trading up to bigger and better models over their lifetime. The deals are strong here, with most advertised models coming equipped with premium packages, and depending on your market, possibly all-wheel drive.
Our pick from this group: the Infiniti G37 sedan. It’s an outgoing model, which is about to be replaced with a new vehicle at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, but the lease terms are quite good. Despite its age, the G37 is still one of the most rewarding sport sedans to drive in the segment. The Cadillac ATS may look tempting, but the model with the special deal is the base trim with the 2.5-liter four-cylinder, not our favorite flavor of ATS.
Editor’s note: While some incentives listed above are offered nationally, many vary by region. Check with the individual automaker to confirm the deal in your area.
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