Mercedes-Benz and BMW got a faster sales start on the new year than

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, which has been the annual leader among luxury brands for 11 years. Mercedes U.S. sales rose 11 per cent from a year ago to 16,398 and BMW reported a

21 per cent gain to 15,905, while Lexus said this week that sales

declined 17 per cent to 12,860.