BMW AG said May deliveries in China rose 7.1% year on year to 40,123 vehicles as the company was locked in a tight race with rival Mercedes-Benz.
Last month, Mercedes deliveries increased nearly 39 percent year on year to 38,271 vehicles.
For the first five months, BMW's China sales rose 6.2 percent to an estimated 202,300 vehicles, allowing it to maintain a lead over Mercedes, which sold 180,537 cars and light trucks in that period.
Audi AG, China's top-selling luxury brand, kept its lead over its German competitors. For the first five months, Audi's deliveries rose 5.8 percent to 239,600 vehicles.
BMW hopes to spur more sales growth in China by expanding its product lineup. In May, the company launched the stretched X1 compact crossover.
The X1's main rivals are the Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA compact crossovers, which also are produced in China.
Source:Automotive News China