Apr. 7, 2008 (China Knowledge) - Volkswagen AG, the biggest overseas carmaker in China, sold a total of 268,200 locally made and imported vehicles in China, including Hong Kong and Macau, in the first quarter of 2008, representing an increase of 33%, said the company in a statement.

The German automaker ascribed the growth to the introduction of Santana Vista, a new version of the nation's bestselling vehicle. It sold 40,417 Santanas in China in the first two months, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Volkswagen's China sales soared 28% year-on-year to exceed 910,000 vehicles in 2007, with the market share up 1 percentage point to hit 18% of the world's second-largest auto market. It aims to achieve 15%-20% growth rate to sell more than 1 million cars in the country this year.