German carmaker Daimler said its passenger car business sold 7.7 percent more vehicles in April, helped by continued strong demand for luxury cars in China.

"We continue to be optimistic about the second quarter, during which we want to boost sales above last year's level," Mercedes-Benz Cars sales chief Joachim Schmidt said in a statemen.

Vehicle sales in China, including Hong Kong, jumped 47 percent to a record level of 16,536 units. In the United States, where the overall car market grew 18 percent in April, Mercedes-Benz sales edged up 2.3 percent.

Rival BMW earlier said it expected U.S. sales to continue growing while Chinese demand would slow this year. (Reuters)