TIANJIN - Volkswagen Group China registered strong sales in the Chinese market in the first nine months of the year, the company announced Monday.

The company, along with its two joint ventures in China - SAIC Volkswagen and FAW-Volkswagen - delivered a total of 3.04 million automobiles to the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong between January and September, up 50 percent year-on-year.

In breakdown, Volkswagen sales reached 2.24 million units, up 1.9 percent year-on-year. Sales of Audis posted record-high growth of 15.4 percent to reach 483,000 units, and sales of Porsches topped 56,300 units in the same period.

Volkswagen Group China President and CEO Jochem Heizmann said that the sales of the company saw steady growth in the first nine months, with SUVs the strongest growth driver.

He said that this year marked a milestone for the company, as it rolled out a number of new vehicle models and stepped up efforts to develop electric vehicles. Meanwhile, the company set up its third joint venture in China, JAC Volkswagen, and launched four new plants in China.

Volkswagen Group is the largest automotive manufacturing company in Europe, with 12 vehicle brands including Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley, delivering to more than 150 countries and regions worldwide.