Volvo Car Corp.’s China sales jumped nearly 19 percent in 2019 as demand for luxury vehicles remained robust despite a protracted market downturn.
Volvo delivered 154,961 cars and light trucks in China last year, accounting for roughly 22 percent of the brand’s global volume.
The latest tally was lower than two other global luxury brands — Cadillac and Lexus.
Cadillac’s China sales rose 3.9 percent to 213,717 in 2019 while Lexus’ local deliveries surged 25 percent to 200,521, according to GM and Lexus’s China office.
Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW remained the largest luxury automotive brands in China last year.
Audi’s China sales rose 4.2 percent to 688,888, according to Volkswagen Group’s joint venture with China FAW Group Corp.
Mercedes-Benz and BMW haven’t disclosed China volumes for 2019.
In the first 11 months of 2019, Mercedes sales increased 6.3 percent to 640,933, while aggregate sales of BMW and Mini rose 14 percent to 655,783, BMW Group said, without disclosing separate sales for the two brands.
In 2018, Volvo was the sixth-largest luxury car brand in China, following Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac and Lexus.