BMW China Q1 sales double to 36,579 cars

Shanghai, April 8 (Gasgoo.com) German luxury car maker BMW said yesterday that the company achieved boom sales in the Chinese market during the first quarter of 2010, media reported.

In the first three months, sales of BMW in China's mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan doubled from a year earlier to 36,579 cars, including its core brand BMW and its urban Mini cars in these three markets.

In China's luxury car segment, BMW competes with Audi and Mercedes-Benz brands. In the first quarter, Volkswagen's Audi sold 51,449 cars in China's mainland and Hong Kong, up 77%, and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz sold 24,100 units, up 105%.

Last year, BMW sold 90,536 cars in China, up 38%, making the country its third largest market (after Germany and the United States). The company expects its China sales this year to grow by more than 10% to break through the 100,000-unit mark.

BMW is investing 600 million euros to expand capacity at its Chinese venture BMW Brilliance in northeastern city of Shenyang to 300,000 vehicles from current 41,000. The venture's new factory will produce the BMW X1 SUV and other models.