BEIJING: German carmaker Volkswagen is targeting double digit sales growth in China this year and will launch two new hybrid cars in the world’s leading auto market, the group’s chief said on Saturday.

“For 2014 we have once again set our sights on double-digit growth in China and are aiming to deliver more than 3.5 million vehicles to customers for the first time in a calendar year,” Martin Winterkorn, said in a statement released in Beijing.

Volkswagen sales already jumped 16.2 per cent in China in 2013. Winterkorn also announced the launch of two rechargeable hybrid cars specifically for the Chinese market from 2016 — an Audi A6 and a mid-size VW limousine — to be produced as part of a joint venture with Chinese partners.

The Volkswagen group which also includes Audi, Skoda, Porsche and Seat is number two in sales in China, behind the United States’ General Motors.