Toyota's Lexus keeps luxury crown for 10th year in row

SOUTHFIELD, Michigan: Toyota Motor Corp's Lexus posted a 22 percent surge in December US sales, finishing its 10th consecutive year in the top spot for luxury autos after fending off a challenge by Bayerische Motoren Werke AG.

Lexus sold 28,565 vehicles last month and 215,975 for the year, the Toyota City, Japan-based company said in a statement. BMW's namesake brand reported a December increase of 11 percent from a year earlier to 20,128 and an annual total of 196,502.

The Toyota division retained its title after falling behind BMW through July. The December gains for the brands capped a year in which sales slid 17 percent for Lexus and 21 percent for Munich-based BMW, as the US total for cars and light trucks tumbled 21 percent to 10.4 million, the fewest since 1982.