Audi says March sales up 37 percent in China

FRANKFURT: Volkswagen's premium brand Audi said sales in China rose 37 percent in March to 47,636 vehicles, boosted by the introduction of a locally made A3 sportback model.

Production of the A3 started at Audi's second factory in China in Foshan at the end of 2013, helping to lift the proportion of locally made vehicles to 80 percent for the German premium brand.

Audi's most successful model in China is the long-wheelbase version of the A6 limousine, which at 14,000 deliveries, made up 29 percent of overall sales in March, followed by a long-wheelbase version of the A4 and the Q5 offroader, which made up 21 percent and 19 percent of deliveries, respectively.