German auto giant Volkswagen AG on Monday reported annual sales of 3.27 million vehicles in China last year, up 16.2 per cent, beating the sales volume of US rival General Motors.

“2013 was a very successful year for us, and we intend to continue our growth in 2014,” said Jochem Heizmann, the head of Volkswagen Group China.

Sales of the company’s Volkswagen-branded vehicles rose by nearly 17 per cent to 2.51 million.

“The excellent result of 2013 was made possible by the good performance of locally produced models,” it said.

The group said sales of its Audi-branded cars soared by 21 per cent to 492,000 in China last year, while it also sold 227,000 Skoda vehicles in the world’s largest car market.

GM reported sales of 3.16 million vehicles in China in 2013, up 11 per cent.