Sales of luxury cars in China grew fast in H1

Luxury auto brands sold well in China in the first half of this year, with Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi all achieving double-digit sales growth even though the world's major auto markets are still in recession, sources reported.

According to statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Mercedes-Benz sold 27,000 vehicles in mainland China in the first six months, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 50%.

In the first half of this year, the combined sales of vehicles in the BMW series and Mini series rose 24% year on year to 37,627 units in China. In June alone, sales of BMWs and Minis in the Chinese market were up 44% and reached 8,506 units.

Audi sold 13,077 vehicles in June, up 28% year on year, achieving a new sales record for the fourth consecutive month. Sales of Audis, accounting for 40% of the luxury car market, rose 10.4% to 66,131 units during the first half.

China's auto production rose 37.73% to 1.15 million units in June, while auto sales reached 1.14 million units, up 36.48% compared with a year ago.