German carmaker Audi has solidified its foothold in China's burgeoning luxury automobile market with dramatically more vehicles sold there last month than one year ago.

In March, Audi sold nearly 50,000 cars to drivers in the People's Republic – an increase of 36.6 percent over the same time last year and the best first quarter in Audi's history in China, the Ingolstadt-based concern reported Friday.

China is the world's most important luxury car market and Audi's biggest customer. Since the beginning of this year, the carmaker has shifted some 125,000 vehicles to Chinese consumers, 21.1 percent more than in the first quarter of 2013.

Sales were buoyed by a mixture of locally-manufactured and imported models, the company said, adding that a new Audi dealership opened in China every week.

More Audis are driven off Chinese lots than cars made by either BMW or Daimler.

Last year Audi sold nearly half a million models in China.

cjc/dr (dpa, Reuters)