The locally produced long-wheelbase E-Class, which has an extended passenger cabin and was created to meet Chinese consumers’ desire for spacious cars, is part of the German auto maker’s plan to increase its market share in China’s luxury car market that is dominated by Audi.
Sales of the E-Class totaled 3,790 units in April, bringing sales of the model to nearly 10,000 units in the first four months of the year.
The locally produced C-Class sedan recorded a 70% increase in sales in April from a year earlier.
Wall Street Journal reported that BMW forecast its sales in China will reach 120,000 cars this year while Mercedes-Benz said it expects sales of "more than 100,000."
Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche indicated in April that he expects Mercedes-Benz’s sales in China to surpass BMW’s either this year or next.