Mercedes sees 2009 China sales up more than 60%

Mercedes-Benz brand sales are expected to grow more than 60 percent year-on-year in China with appetite for the flagship E-class and S-Class limousines expected to be a key driver of sales going forward.

China's demand for luxury cars helped Stuttgart-based auto maker Daimler achieve a new sales record in China for every month of this year, the company said on Friday.

"We will expand our presence in the Chinese market next year and expect to grow faster than the overall market," Mercedes-Benz Cars sales chief Joachim Schmidt said in a statement.

November's sales of 8,700 Mercedes-Benz brand vehicles boosted overall sales to 60,700 units this year, a gain of 56 percent.

The flagship S-class limousine accounts for a fifth of that volume, the largest and most expensive model line offered by Mercedes-Benz short of an ultraluxury Maybach limousine.

Mercedes is significantly expanding its production capacity in Beijing, where local partner BAIC builds the C-Class model.

It also suggested it might do the same at its new plant in Pune, India, that opened in February.

"The roughly 400 hectares in surface area offers additional breathing space for a further expansion of capacity," it said.