VW crowned 2017's best-selling carmaker in China

Volkswagen AG defended its title as the best-selling carmaker in China last year, living up to its name which translates as "people's car" in the German language.

The German automotive group, together with its two Chinese joint ventures, sold 4.18 million vehicles in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong in 2017, reflecting 5.1 percent growth year-on-year.

Of them, 3.18 million were Volkswagen-branded; Audi deliveries totaled 597,900, maintaining its lead in Chinese premium market; Skoda sold 32,500 cars, its best year in China, and Porsche delivered 71,500 cars, a 9.6 percent rise year-on-year.

"For the first time, more than 4 million customers put their precious trust in us, and this significant milestone reflects Volkswagen's strong focus on exciting people and meeting their needs," said Jochem Heizmann, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group China.

"Notably, this result has been achieved with a portfolio of models largely covering traditional segments. With the roll-out of our SUV offensive and a particularly strong end to the year, the outlook for 2018 is very positive," Heizmann said.

General Motors Co, which ranked No 2 in China sales last year, was another carmaker that delivered more than 4 million cars in the world's largest market.

Sales of its Cadillac, Buick and Baojun cars combined totaled 4.04 million cars, making China GM's largest retail market for the sixth consecutive year.

China also beat the United States as the largest retail market for Cadillac, where 175,489 units were sold last year, an increase of 51 percent year-on-year.

The brand recorded 22 months in a row of double-digit sales growth by the end of December in China, the carmaker said.

"We will continue to bring the right products and technology to market to meet increasingly diverse demands for personal mobility," said Matt Tsien, GM executive vice-president and president of GM China.

The record sales of both carmakers came as China's car market growth is slowing down.

Passenger cars totaled 24.72 million units last year, up 1.4 percent year-on-year, the lowest point since 2008, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.