VW March China car sales up 9% to 112,466 units

Shanghai, April 14 (Gasgoo.com) German auto giant Volkswagen (VW) said today that its vehicle sales in March grew 9% from a year earlier in China's mainland and Hong Kong as the Chinese government's stimulus policies boosted auto market demand, Reuters reported.

Last month, the top European automaker sold 112,466 vehicles in China's mainland and Hong Kong, up from 103,204 units in March 2008, it said in a statement.

VW's China sales in the first quarter this year top 284,000 cars, up 5.94% year on year, it said. Sales of its Volkswagen-brand vehicles rose 6.5% to 235,772 units, while sales of its Skoda vehicles rose 18.7% to 19,248 units. However, sales of its luxury Audi vehicles fell 4.7% from a year earlier to 29,010 units.

VW saw its sales in China rise 12.5% to 1.02 million in 2008, compared with 1.06 million in Germany, Volkswagen's biggest market. Last year, the company held a market share of 18% in China, including Hong Kong.

In late February this year, Volkswagen AG announced plans to double its annual vehicle sales in China to 2 million units by 2018, and will also coordinate with its two Chinese ventures -- Shanghai VW and FAW VW -- to add four models each year.