A supplier fire that hobbled crossover and SUV production cost Mercedes-Benz USA the top spot in the luxury U.S. sales race in June.
BMW edged out its long-time rival, for the month, up 1.5 percent from a year ago. Crossovers fueled BMW's performance in June.
Mercedes, meanwhile, in June sales to 26,191, excluding the brand's commercial van sales.
"June sales were mainly impacted by limited availability of our larger SUVs, the GLE [crossover] and GLS [SUV], whose production was affected by a fire at a supplier facility in May," Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Dietmar Exler said in a statement.
The fire at Meridian Magnesium Products of America in Eaton Rapids, Mich., had a ripple effect across the auto industry, disrupting production at General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, BMW and Mercedes-Benz plants.
Rounding out the luxury segment's top five brands in June U.S. sales were Lexus, with sales of 23,750, down 2.6 percent; Audi, with sales of 19,471, up 0.3 percent; and Acura, with deliveries of 14,532, up 3.5 percent.
Crossovers accounted for 53 percent of BMW brand sales in June. The BMW X2 had its best sales month since its March launch (2,150 vehicles), while the BMW X3 had its biggest sales month of the year (5,366 vehicles, up 51 percent over June 2017).
While Mercedes finished second for the month, it remains No. 1 year-to-date. Mercedes sold 158,848 vehicles in the first six months, compared with BMW's 153,386.
Mercedes-Benz's volume leaders in June were the GLC, C class, E class/CLS. The GLC took the lead in June with U.S. sales of 6,608, followed by C-class deliveries of 5,742. The E class/CLS rounded out the top three with 3,435 units sold.
Porsche Cars North America Inc. reported June U.S. sales of 4,892 vehicles -- the sixth consecutive monthly record since January a monthly retail record -- and an 8.3 percent gain over June 2017. Retail sales for January through June rose 6.7 percent to 29,421 vehicles.
"One thing is clear from these numbers: The Porsche lineup of sports cars fascinates people, whether they are looking for two-door or four-door models." Porsche Cars North America CEO Klaus Zellmer said in a statement.
June growth leaders were the Panamera, up 42 percent year-over-year, and the 718 model line, which gained 31 percent from June 2017. Cayenne crossover sales, however, tumbled nearly 44 percent last month from the same period a year ago.
Total U.S. luxury sales rose 0.2 percent in June. For the year, deliveries of luxury brands are up 2.2 percent.
You can reach Urvaksh Karkaria at ukarkaria@crain.com -- Follow Urvaksh on Twitter: @urvaksh