Mercedes is the "defending sales champ" in the U.S. market, and it appears it will retain the title this year.

It is still too early to break out the champagne but it looks as if Mercedes-Benz will capture the luxury sales crown for 2014, beating out runner up BMW, the likely runner up, for the second year in row.

Mercedes-Benz recorded a modest 1.6% sales increase in November, beating out archrival BMW, which saw sales drop nearly 1%. The November numbers left Mercedes-Benz with a commanding lead of more than 20,000 units going into the final month of the year.

Toyota’s Lexus division had its best November ever as it set a sales record, but has sold just 271,000 vehicles so far this year and is unlikely to overtake its German rivals even though it expects to sell more than 300,000 units. Audi increased its sales for the 47th month in row and has already set an all-time yearly sales record.

The strong sales by the luxury brands are indicative of what has turned out to be a very strong year for the automobile industry, which posted robust sales for November with one exception: Infiniti.

November was not as kind to BMW as it was to its archrival, Mercedes, which put a little distance between the two for the luxury sales lead in the U.S.

Nissan’s luxury brand slumped by 13.3% in November, led by its cars, which fell 18.9% while its trucks slid just 4.5%. However, for the year to date, Infiniti sales are up 2% at 105,323 units. Nissan itself also saw its sales drop in November by 1.7%, and much like its luxury partner, it was cars that led to the tumble with sales for the month down 6.6%. It’s truck sales conversely were up 6.3% last month, largely due to strong Rogue sales, which were up 43.5%.

In addition to the luxury brands enjoying, it was a strong month for most automakers. General Motors estimated the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate for light vehicles in November was 17.1 million, the highest November SAAR since 2003.

Autodata, Inc. pegged the number at 17.2 million. Regardless, the result is the expected result, which ranged from 16.5 million to 16.8 million, depending upon what organization’s numbers are used. November sales totaled 1.3 million, up 4.6 percent from a year ago and higher than analysts’ expectations of 1.27 million.

Calendar year to date, the SAAR is 16.5 million units, which is the upper end of the 16 million – 16.5 million range GM forecasted at the beginning of the year.

“Black Friday has established itself as the start of the final epic selling season of the year and this year that season has started earlier than ever,” said John Krafcik, president of TrueCar. “Hard-hitting sales events, great new products and receptive consumers are driving a 17 million SAAR in November – that’s terrific for the industry and a positive sign as we look to 2015.”

Audi posted its 47th straight month of increasing sales in November.

GM sales reported a 6% sales increase, while Chrysler posted a 20% gain, Subaru sales increased 23%, Jaguar Land Rover sales increased 19% and Toyota and Volkswagen reported sales increases of 3%. Several carmakers also posted modest declines. Ford sales dropped 2%, Nissan sales fell 3%, while Hyundai sales decline 4.2% and Volvo’s fell 14%.

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The combination of lower gasoline prices rising, rising consumer confidence and a strong end-of-the-month push from Black Friday helped raise November new vehicles sales to their highest level in more than a decade.

Krafcik noted that carmakers shrewdly deployed their promotion and marketing money, starting in early November and enjoyed strong sales both the weekend before and after Thanksgiving. The result was that makers got more bang for their buck. The average transaction price for light vehicles was $32,482, up 0.6% from a year ago, while average incentive spending per unit declined $6 to $2,660. The ratio of incentive spending to ATP was 8.2%, narrowing 0.8% from last year.

The industry’s sales calendar is being restructured so there is more emphasis than ever before on November and December. In addition, carmakers with strong truck and crossover portfolio are enjoying the consumer sentiment towards larger vehicles.

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Erich Merkle, Ford Motor Co. sales analyst, estimated sales of small cars have fallen 1% recently, as Emily Kolinski Morris, Ford’s chief economist, noted the drop in oil prices is putting millions of dollars, as much as $180 million per day, in the pockets of American consumers: money that can be spent for something other than fuel. The shift has already lifted consumer spirits to pre-recession levels for the first time, she said.

Consumer confidence posted its fourth consecutive monthly gain in November, rising to its highest level since July 2007, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

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Richard Curtin, director of the U-M surveys, said consumers expressed much more favorable buying plans for durables and vehicles in the most recent survey. Favorable views toward purchases of large household durables were at their highest level since 2007, and favorable vehicle buying attitudes were the most favorable since 2005.

“Based on recent data, consumer spending is poised to make 2015 the best year for the economy since 2005. To accomplish this outcome, the president and congress must dial back the rhetoric and expand their common ground in promoting the continuation of robust gains in jobs and wages in the year ahead,” Curtin said.