VWs popular in China

BEIJING, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- China is expected to become Volkswagen's No. 1 market this year, surpassing even its home turf in Germany, the automaker says.

While sales slowed in June, Volkswagen Group still projects it will sell just over 1 million cars in China this year, slightly more than in Germany, Automotive News Europe reported Sunday.

"The 1 million figure is still on," Jorg Mull, executive vice president of the finance department for Volkswagen Group China, told Automotive News Europe. "The market will hit at least 15 percent growth this year, even though overall Chinese growth has slowed a bit."

VW rang up 531,614 sales in China in the first six months, up 23.2 percent from the year-ago period. In Germany, it sold 534,390 units, an increase of 3.7 percent.

Volkswagen, which sells VW, Audi and Skoda cars in China, has a 19.1 percent market share in the Asian nation.