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Mercedes-Benz August deliveries rise 53.1 percent in China

The logo of German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz, a subsidiary of Daimler AG, is pictured covered with raindrops at a Mercedes-Benz branch in Frankfurt, October 23, 2013. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler said sales of Mercedes-Benz cars rose 17.6 percent in August boosted by an 81.3 percent increase in registrations of its C-Class sedan and as demand in China once again defied a broader downturn with deliveries up 53.1 percent.

Mercedes-Benz said on Friday it sold 139,802 cars in August, posting record sales for the 30th month in succession. Year-to-date 1,187,980 customers took delivery of a passenger car bearing the three-pointed star.

In China, demand for the locally produced C-Class sedan and the new GLA compact offroader helped to drive sales.

Growth is expected to continue given the launch of new vehicles such as the S-Class convertible, Ola Kaellenius, board member responsible for marketing and sales said.

Deliveries rose 10.5 percent in Europe, and 4.8 percent in the United States, Daimler said.

Sales of Smart vehicles rose 9.4 percent in August to 6,317 registrations.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)