Luxury Brands Roll-Out Holiday Deals

2007 Mercedes-Benz ML-350 What a Deal!

Luxury brands are vying for the top sales spot in 2006 and are counting on the biggest sales month of the year to help make it happen, reports Automotive News.

December deals abound from luxury brands who count on the holiday season to pull forward sales.

Here are a few of the deals going on right now: a $369 monthly lease payment on the 2007 BMW X3 3.0si crossover; a $549 lease payment on Mercedes' 2007 ML350 crossover and 4.9 percent financing on Mercedes' 2007 R350 crossover; and, Lexus is offering both lease and interest-rate support for 2007 models.

Marketing campaigns such as the 11-year-old Lexus "December to Remember" promotion, Mercedes' "Winter Sales Event" and BMW's "Holiday Wish Event" have magnified December sales peaks for luxury import brands for the past several years. By contrast, sales in the total U.S. auto market usually peak at midyear before model changeover.

BMW is expected to sell the most luxury cars in the U.S. this year, surpassing 300,000 units sold.