TIANJIN - German carmaker Volkswagen posted rising auto sales in China in 2016 compared with a year earlier, and demand for its luxury cars remained strong, according to a report released by the company.

Total auto sales, including vehicles made by Volkswagen's two joint ventures with SAIC Motor and China FAW Group and those imported to China, stood at 3.98 million units in 2016, year on year growth of 12.2 percent.

The operating profit of VW's two joint ventures in China hit 5 billion euros ($5.36 billion) in 2016, the report said.

Sales of Volkswagen models rose 14 percent in China to 3 million units in 2016. Audi sales edged up 3.6 percent to 591,600 units and Skoda sales increased by 12.6 percent to 317,100 units.

Meanwhile, luxury cars continued to post strong growth. Porsche sales went up 12.5 percent to 65,200 units during the same period.

"China's auto sales growth in 2016 has exceeded our expectation and long-term plan," said Jochem Heizmann, CEO of Volkswagen China.

VW aims to sell 400,000 units of new energy vehicles in China in 2020 and offer 1.5 million such cars to Chinese consumers in 2025.

The auto sales of VW vehicles hit a record high of 10.3 million units in the global markets in 2016. The group had 120 factories and more than 610,000 employees worldwide by 2016.