BERLIN (AP) — Daimler AG says surging demand in China along with a stronger performance in Europe helped propel its luxury Mercedes-Benz brand to record monthly sales figures in March.

Daimler said Friday that it sold 158,523 Mercedes cars last month — a 13.3-percent increase from a year earlier. Deliveries in China were up 34 percent at 24,937 while Japanese sales surged 39.5 percent to 8,690.