Helped along by the latest C-Class, Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. luxury car sales for October swept by rival BMW’s, whose sales of the formerly leading 3-series slowed down with customers opting for a fresher product. In fact, BMW has had to rely on a 35% increase in incentives to keep sales of the 3-series going, whereas incentives by Mercedes-Benz USA declined by 15 percent.

The 23% rise in Mercedes luxury car sales represents more than 22,600 cars moving off showroom floors. This rise had been predicted a few months back even by BMW, as it acknowledged that the newer C-Class would appeal to customers more since it was a fresher product. In terms of annual sales, however, BMW continues to lead with sales of almost 200,000 vehicles to date. These figures do not include sales of non-luxury Daimler products such as vans and trucks, nor does it include BMW’s Mini division, which is not classified as a luxury car.