BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi Boast 27% Sales Increase in China

SHANGHAI - December 6, 2007:

Luxury car automakers, BMW, Benz and Audi, all saw an average of 27% sales increase in China in the first three quarters of this year, Chinese Business News reported.

Mercedes-Benz's China sales surged by 37% year-on-year to 20,000 in the first ten months of 2007, and the company expects to sell 25,000 vehicles by year-end, the company said last month. By far, China has become Mercedes-Benz's fastest growing market worldwide.

The BMW Group sold 36,300 vehicles (BMW and MINI brands combined) in mainland China in the first three quarters, an increase of 37% from a year earlier, and it expects to sell 50,000 in China by the end of this year. The strong sales performance will make China overtake Japan as the brand's biggest market in Asia-Pacific, the company said.

Volkswagen's premium brand Audi has further consolidated its leading position in Chinese luxury vehicle market by selling 56,716 vehicles in the mainland during the same period, an increase of 27 percent from one year earlier, the report said.

For more information about the burgeoning auto industry in China please visit http://www.gasgoo.com/Autobiz/list/7/China-News.html