VOLKSWAGEN AG, the biggest overseas car maker in China, expects to boost vehicle sales in the country at least 12 percent this year, helped by the introduction of the Magotan sedan and other new models.

Sales in China may exceed 800,000 cars this year, Soh Weiming, Volkswagen China Group's executive vice president, said in an interview with Bloomberg News at an auto show in the northeastern city of Changchun. The company sold 711,298 cars in the country last year.

Volkswagen, Toyota Motor Corp and other car makers have added new models in China as economic growth boosts sales in the world's second-largest auto market. Volkswagen's first-half sales in China rose 25 percent, outpacing the wider market, after it added the Skoda Octavia and a revamped Audi A4.

Volkswagen sold a record 431,369 cars in China in the first half. The overall passenger car market grew 22 percent to 3.08 million in the period. The carmaker had a first-half market share of 19 percent, compared with 18.6 percent for the whole of 2006.

The company aims to maintain a share of about 17 percent to 18 percent in the long term, Soh said.

The automaker started selling Magotan sedans in the country on July 11. The model, rivaling Toyota's Camry, is priced at 192,800 yuan (US$25,500), compared with a starting price of 197,800 yuan for the Camry.