Mercedes-Benz's China sales soared nearly 32 percent year on year in April to 35,625 vehicles as the German automaker closed in on BMW for bragging rights as the country's No. 2 luxury brand.

 

In the first four months, Mercedes deliveries increased 35 percent to 142,266 units.

 

Mercedes said its Smart minicar arm also enjoyed strong sales in China. The company added that demand was strong in China and other markets for compact Mercedes models such as the CLA, GLA, GLE and GLS.

 

In a bid to maintain momentum, Mercedes is expanding its China lineup. At the Beijing auto show last month, the automaker unveiled a long-wheelbase E-Class sedan, which is 140 millimeters longer than the standard version.

 

Mercedes also introduced a Brabus high-performance variant of the Smart car.

 

In recent years, Mercedes has been China's No. 3 luxury brand, behind rivals Audi and BMW. Top-selling Audi has a large lead but Mercedes has been cutting the gap with BMW.

 

In the first three months of the year, Audi sold 139,540 vehicles, BMW sold 127,105 vehicles and Mercedes delivered 106,641.

 

Audi and BMW have not released April sales results for in China.