Despite a few winter storms and an underwhelming December, automakers on Friday released sales totals for 2013 showing a healthy return to normalcy. Between new models, pent-up demand and cheap credit, carmakers and their dealers sold some 15.6 million cars and trucks last year, a jump of just under 8 percent from 2012.

Yet the biggest movers weren't mass-market pickups or SUVs, but luxury vehicle brands from Cadillac to Lamborghini, many of which set sales records and sold every vehicle they could build or import last year — and only see more to come in 2014.

It's important to note that no one has a red-line definition of the luxury car market; the average new vehicle price of $32,920 in December would count as a luxury purchase for a majority of American households. The old bulwarks of branding don't hold sway either, not when Mercedes offers a front-wheel-drive sedan (the CLA-Class) with sticker prices less than a fully loaded Ford Fusion.

2013 U.S. luxury vehicle sales