German automaker BMW Group's first-quarter sales in China surpassed 30,000 cars for the first time this year as the company sets its sights on another full-year record.

The group said in a recent statement that it delivered 34,179 BMW and Mini cars to customers between January and March, more than double the figure in the same period of the previous year. It moved 16,580 vehicles in the first quarter of 2009.

The imported BMW 7 Series sedan continues to dominate the full-size luxury segment, with nearly 5,000 units driven out of the showroom in the past three months.

The BMW X family - including X1, X3, X5 and X6 - sold more than 6,500 units, enhancing the brand's leading position in the premium sports utility vehicles market.

The company also moved 1,742 of its 1 Series compact models, more than triple the volume in the same period last year.

BMW currently operates production facilities in northeastern city Shenyang with its partner Brilliance China to make 3 Series and 5 Series sedans. Both models registered stable sales growth in the first three months this year, with their combined numbers comprising more than half of BMW's total first-quarter tally.

Sales of the BMW 3 Series tripled to 10,190 units. The 5 Series had sales of 7,584 cars, an outstanding performance considering an upgraded version with longer wheelbase will begin local production within the year.

The joint venture between BMW and Brilliance China has a long-term goal to increase production capacity to 300,000 units a year from the current 44,000.

The company also sold 1,853 Mini cars from January to March. The full year sales of Mini were about 4,400 units in 2009.

If sales in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao are added, 36,579 BMW and Mini brand automobiles were purchased in the first quarter, surging 100.5 percent year-on-year.

"We are full of confidence in the long-term development of the Chinese market due to the strong performance at the beginning of the Year of the Tiger," said Christoph Stark, president and CEO of BMW Group Region China.

"This year, we will continue to enhance our advantage in the Chinese market through innovative products as well as network and service system expansion," he added.

Yet Stark admitted in a previous interview with China Daily that it is "an ongoing challenge" to maintain service quality in a market that is developing "super fast".

He emphasized that BMW maintains good relations with its dealers, monitors service quality through surveys and invests significantly in training to ensure such rapid growth does not sacrifice quality.

The company just opened a new center in Guangzhou last week to offer professional training to employees of BMW and its dealerships in the country's southern regions.

BMW's major competitors in China also saw brisk sales, with Audi posting a 77 percent surge in first-quarter sales on the Chinese mainland to 50,840 cars. Mercedes-Benz moved 23,610 vehicles on the mainland, soaring 112 percent over the first quarter last year.