BERLIN - A sharp increase of car sales in China was a key factor for Audi in January, the German carmaker Audi AG announced on Friday.

A total of 60,875 units have been delivered to Chinese customers, a year-on-year rise of 73.0 percent, the Ingolstadt-based company reported in a statement.

Audi sold in January around 149,100 premium automobiles, up by 20.3 percent compared with the same month in 2017.

Besides China, it also sold around 60,450 (-2.2 percent) units in Europe and 14,511 (+9.9 percent) in the US, according to the statement.

"It's a good start to a crucial year for Audi," says Bram Schot, board member for sales and marketing.

"2018 will be shaped by our model initiative. But with this initiative we are laying the foundations for growth over the next few years," Schot added.