BERLIN (Reuters) - Audi (DE:VOWG_p) sold 2.3 percent more cars in July on growing demand for the redesigned top-selling A4 saloon, though kept trailing behind German luxury rivals BMW (DE:BMWG) and Mercedes-Benz (DE:DAIGn).
Audi's global sales increased to 149,400 cars and sport-utility vehicles from 146,073 a year earlier, the Ingolstadt-based carmaker said on Thursday, with its year-to-date deliveries up 5.2 percent to 1.10 million cars.
Daimler's Mercedes-Benz last week posted a 9.4 percent increase in sales to 163,770 cars, its best-ever July result, compared with a 4 percent gain at BMW's core brand to 153,392.
After seven months, Mercedes-Benz is on course to become the world's biggest luxury carmaker by sales, replacing BMW which has kept the lead since 2005.