BERLIN (AP) -- Global sales of Audi AG's luxury cars were up 39 percent on the year in January, helped by a surge in China and healthy growth in the United States, the company said Monday.
Audi, a unit of Volkswagen AG based in Ingolstadt, said it delivered 77,800 cars last month, up from 56,138 a year earlier.
"We're on target to reach the record we set in 2008 of one million cars sold, which we want to achieve again in 2010," Audi board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said in a statement.
The company said sales were helped in particular by its new A5 Sportback and by the Q5 SUV.
Sales in China more than doubled last month to 16,798 from 7,816, Audi said. That accounted for most of the company's sales in the Asia-Pacific region, which doubled to 20,850.
Audi reported growth of 37.9 percent in the United States, where January sales were up to 6,510 from 4,722.
Sales increased by 23 percent in Europe excluding Germany, rising to 33,300; and in Audi's German home market, they were up a more modest 9.3 percent to 11,657.
