Volkswagen's premium carmaker Audi expects to post further year-on-year growth in the second quarter after recording a 25.9 percent jump in first-quarter vehicle sales to a record high.

Some of the credit goes to the new generation of our flagship car, the Audi A8, which we are currently launching, Audi sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer said on Thursday.

Audi's worldwide sales came to 110,400 vehicles in March, a gain of 22.2 percent over the year-earlier period, which was marked by a slump in demand for premium cars worldwide at all major brands including larger rival BMW.

Growth was boosted by demand in China, including Hong Kong, where Audi sold almost 65 percent more cars in March than a year earlier. Sales there rose about 77 percent in the first quarter.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Michael Shields)

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