BMW China Jan sales more than double to 11,919 cars

Shanghai, February 9 (Gasgoo.com) BMW AG said Friday that its sales in China last month more than doubled to 11,919 cars from 5,360 cars of a year earlier, Dow Jones reported. The company expects its China sales to grow by at least 10% this year.

In January, the core BMW brand sold 11,369 cars in China, the first time that its monthly sales exceeded the threshold of 10,000 units. Sales for BMW 7-Series sedan doubled to 1,705 vehicles from 844 cars of January 2009. China continues to be the largest single market for BMW's flagship model.

"We are once again aiming for growth in the double-digit percentage range in this country," BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said. In 2009, the world's largest luxury car maker by sales sold 90,536 vehicles in China, up 38% from the prior year.

BMW's Chinese growth rate of 122% in January beat VW's Audi, but failed to keep pace with Daimler's Mercedes-Benz. Last month, Audi's China sales rose by 115% to 16,798 cars while Mercedes-Benz surged 147% to 8,400 cars and SUVs, according to the companies.

Still, BMW predicted an increase in auto deliveries in China of at least 10% this year after sales more than doubled in January. BMW is spending 5 billion yuan ($732 million) to build another Chinese factory with its local partner Brilliance Auto in Shenyang.