Double-digit growth in sales from China helped the German car brand Mercedes-Benz generate record sales in the third quarter, despite a slowdown in the global market.

While sales in Europe increased marginally last month for the first time this year, the Stuttgart-based automaker sold a record-breaking 181,233 vehicles in China in the three months to September, an increase of almost 13 per cent, the group said on Monday. Passenger car deliveries worldwide rose by a similar percentage to just over 590,000 in the same period.

However, sales of the company’s super-compact Smart range, which is due to be fully electrified by next year, were down almost 9 per cent in the year. The company unveiled its upcoming new Smart model at the Frankfurt Auto Show, which led consumers to shun the current line-up in September, driving down sales by more than 32 per cent. Additionally, overall Mercedes sales in the US remain down 0.5 per cent in the year.