Mercedes-Benz‘s plans to regain its historical position as the world’s most popular premium automaker could be paying off, research from Germany has suggested.

The famous tri-star brand was the world’s best-loved luxury automaker until 2005, when it lost the title to rival BMW, which has held it since.

In 2011, it suffered another blow when it slipped behind Audi into third place, selling 1.26 million vehicles compared to 1.3 million for Audi and 1.38 million for BMW.

Mercedes-Benz‘s luxury performance brand, AMG, has opened a dedicated showroom for the first time.

The AMG brand, sold for over 45 years by Mercedes-Benz dealerships, opened its first ever outpost in Beijing, China, this week, describing the move as ‘breaking new ground’.

The new furniture collection by Mercedes-Benz Style will be making its world debut during Milan’s “design week” with a special Fuorisalone event.

Luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is to play a major role in Germany’s forthcoming air hub, Berlin Brandenburg International, when it opens in June.

A partnership between Mercedes and Berlin Brandenburg will leave passengers in no doubt that they have landed in the home of luxury cars when they land at the new airport, with Mercedes-Benz featuring prominently across the new airport.

Airport authorities said this past week that a ‘star tower’, topped by an eight-meter-wide Mercedes star, will be constructed on the route into the airport.

The first official images of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class have been leaked online, showing the all-new shape in full detail.

The 2013 SL bears a completely new look that draws inspiration from its smaller SLK sibling and the SLS AMG supercar.

As Mercedes has released, 89% the body is constructed of aluminum, making the SL 308 lbs – lighter than the 2012 version.

Audi is set to overtake rival Mercedes-Benz for the first time in luxury car sales, finishing 2011 as the world’s second biggest premium automaker.

The German brand is poised to finish the year just behind the world’s most popular luxury automaker, BMW, beating Mercedes-Benz in the race to woo well-to-do buyers.

As automakers enter the last month of sales for the year, Audi has sold over 56,000 more vehicles than Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz, a new record which puts it on track to finish the year with a record 1.3 million cars sold.