Volkswagen AG's sales in China gained 16.4 percent in the first half of this year, breaking the 1-million-unit mark for the first time in the country.

The German car maker, along with two Chinese joint ventures, sold a total of 1.1 million units in China from January to June, up from the 947,400 units in the same period of last year.

The rise helped VW gain a market share of about 19 percent.