Volkswagen AG said deliveries at its various brands in China rose nearly 19 percent year on year to 299,800 in June as the automaker benefited from a sales surge across the industry.

 

For the month, light-vehicle sales in China rose 18 percent.

 

Audi AG, Volkswagen's luxury brand, reported a sales increase of 6.6 percent in June. VW brand deliveries jumped nearly 24 percent, and Skoda volume increased nearly 12 percent. Porsche sales for the month were not available.

 

In the first six months, VW's group sales in China rose 6.8 percent year on year to 1.74 million vehicles. That wasn't enough to keep pace with rival General Motors, which posted sales of 1.81 million, or a 5.3 percent gain for the period.

 

In recent years, GM and Volkswagen have dueled for bragging rights as China's largest foreign automaker.