(Yicai Global) Jan. 10 -- Daimler AG hit a new global sales record for Mercedes-Benz cars last year thanks to impressive growth in China, where shipments made up a quarter of the worldwide total.

The firm sold 610,965 new Mercedes-Benz cars in China during the period, marking the first time the German carmaker passed 600,000 sales in a single country, it said in an annual report yesterday.

It was second year the brand beat out all other high-end auto brands worldwide and the seventh straight year with a new global sales record, Chairman Dieter Zetsche added.

Daimler and local carmaker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. formed a joint venture in China in 2005, which produces Mercedes cars in the country. Foreign automakers are required to partner up with a domestic company to enter the Chinese market.

The local unit plans to produce more cars this year and boost development in the new-energy sector. It made over 430,000 vehicles in 2017, up 29 percent on the year and securing double-digit growth for the eighth straight year.

The China division has laid a solid foundation for growth through innovative sales initiatives, such as a self-built e-commerce platform and online dealership, to keep sales high, said Nicholas Speeks, chief executive of the joint venture.