Mercedes could reclaim No. 2 luxury spot from Audi by 2015

A report by the Center of Automotive Research at the university of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has revealed that Mercedes-Benz, currently the number three luxury carmaker, could move up to number two in 2015, Automotive News reported. Mercedes owned the second slot until last year, when Audi overtook it. BMW has held the lead in the luxury market since 2005.

"We aim to be the front-runner wherever we compete on a permanent basis," Zetsche said in a speech earlier this month. "Wherever we are not number one, we will strive to become it," he added.

BMW will sell 1.76 million vehicles in 2015, followed by Mercedes with 1.68 million and Audi with 1.63 million, the CAR report said. One of the reasons Mercedes could see such growth is that it intends to introduce 10 new models by 2015, including a sportier version of the A Class (above).

Audi and BMW have no plans to cede any ground to Mercedes in the World War of Luxury Vehicles as the two German brands continue to vie for number one. Audi has said it plans to sell two million vehicles by 2020, which would surpass BMW and Mini total sales. Additionally, Audi plans to build a plant in Mexico, which could increase it's U.S. lineup from 16 vehicles to 27.