According to The Straits Times, latest figures from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) indicate that 3,506 cars from Mercedes were registered from January till the end of November - averaging 319 cars a month. In comparison, BMW registered 3,295 cars - or about a monthly average of 300 units.

Despite the slim lead by the star in the circle brand, the local paper presumes a last minute surge could propel BMW to defend its three-year long title. It is noteworthy back in 2012, more than 600 BMW units were registered in the month of December.

However, experts pertaining to the industry claim otherwise and one top executive in a dealership went on to comment, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings, but it looks quite unlikely". According to the local paper, many share his sentiments, alluding to a number of reasons.

Mercedes has a stronger lineup, with new models such as the A-Class, B-Class and CLA-Class while the heavily facelifted E-Class Sedan has garnered more interest than BMW 5 Series, which has largely remained unchanged despite undergoing a mid-life makeover.

Additionally, Mercedes had strategically held over end-2012 registrations to start this year with a bang and has put more than 500 new cars on the road in January. Also, insiders revealed Mercedes had stronger support from parent group Daimler, encouraging more aggressive sales promotions and COE biddings.

If the numbers stabilise, then Japanese automaker, Toyota, will retain its No. 3 position, followed by Volkswagen and Audi in fourth and fifth places respectively - displaying strong dominance by German marques. They accounted for 55 percent of all new cars sold in the first 11 months - a mild increase from 52 percent last year.

The situation is expected to change next year, with Japanese marques expected to lead the sales charts once again - courtesy of the slight tweak in COE categorisation criteria. From February, cars under Category A have a capacity up to 1,600cc and cannot produce more than 130bhp.

Say Kwee Neng, Managing Director of Sime Darby Motors, added that the Japanese have the advantage of a weakening yen, which would make Japanese cars more price competitive.