BEIJING, May 17 (Reuters) - China sales at Volkswagen AG's premium unit Audi rose 28 percent in the first four months of this year, with growth expected to continue apace, Audi said on Monday.
Audi, which has been struggling to expand profits worldwide, sold 22,601 cars in the booming Chinese market between January and April, Audi said in a statement.
"We expect growth to continue in the years to come," it quoted a senior executive as saying.
China is the firm's most important market after Germany and Britain. Audi said last month that it expected double-digit sales growth in China for 2004 as a whole.
Audi's China sales include locally made A6 saloons and A4 compacts and imported products such as the TT coupe, Quattro sports sedan and the revamped A8, which is selling for between 1.2 million and 1.5 million yuan ($145,000 and $181,200).
Audi, which dominates the luxury car market in China, is gearing up for more competition from German rivals BMW AG and DaimlerChrysler . ($1=8.277 Yuan)