Based on total U.S. sales BMW outsold Lexus in both April and June, following 23 consecutive months in which Lexus held the No. 1 sales position among luxury brands, according to the Power Information Network.

For the first six months of the year, though, Lexus still held the lead by 5,198 units.

BMW's June sales reached 20,944 units, while Lexus posted sales of 20,253 units. However, Lexus's year-to-date sales in June

BMW's year-to-date sales in June totaled 131,513 units, while Lexus posted year-to-date sales of 136,711.

The two luxury brands compete directly in four segments, and in June Lexus outperformed BMW in three of them: midsize luxury car, large luxury car and midsize luxury crossover. In the fourth segment of small luxury car, BMW's lead with the 3 Series was not large enough to offset Lexus's superiority in the other three segments.

However, BMW had a major advantage in June in the segments where only one of the two brands competes. BMW sold 4,155 new vehicles in segments where Lexus does not have an entry, while Lexus delivered only 1,645 units in segments where BMW is absent. BMW's

smaller models, including the 1 Series and X3, performed well in June, and Lexus has no direct competitors for these products.