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.