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Mercedes-Benz sold the most luxury autos in the U.S. again in November, virtually guaranteeing that the Daimler AG brand will take the full-year title from BMW.

Sales of the Mercedes GLC sport utility vehicle more than tripled while C-class car deliveries held steady, giving the brand a 1.1 percent increase for the month to 30,363, according to a statement today. Toyota Motor Corp. said Lexus slipped 1 percent to 29,050, and BMW AG reported an 18 percent drop to 26,189 for its namesake brand.

Mercedes is offering more SUVs and in a broader price range, said Rebecca Lindland, senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “They have a sense of how to make them attainable without losing that sense of luxury,” which is giving Mercedes a competitive advantage, she said.

With only one month to go, Mercedes leads Lexus by more than 18,000 and BMW by about 28,000. [...]

LOS ANGELES — Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth has the British automaker growing at a record pace, but he wants to make sure the company always puts profits ahead of volume. Speth outlined the next steps in JLR’s model and plant expansion, which include the addition of a factory in Slovakia and outsourcing output of its Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover to contract manufacturer Magna Steyr.

Speth, 61, discussed JLR’s plans with Automotive News Europe Editor Luca Ciferri and Automotive News Print Editor Richard Johnson at the auto show here in November.

Q: How many vehicles will JLR produce this year, and when will it hit the 1 million-unit-a-year target?

A: We are going to grow in a profitable, sustainable way. Last year, we built 520,000 units, and we are growing. With all the political and economic changes, where we will end up this year, nobody knows. Also, the 1 million target is far away.