FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Daimler DAIGn.DE sold 2.34 million Mercedes-Benz passenger cars in 2019 for a ninth consecutive year of record sales, it said on Thursday, putting the German carmaker in pole position to retain the title of biggest-selling premium car brand.

Stuttgart-based Daimler claimed it had retained the title of best-selling luxury car brand. However, rival BMW BMWG.DE, the brands of which include Mini and Rolls-Royce, has yet to give a breakdown of its global sales.

As a carmaking group, BMW sold 2.52 million vehicles last year to beat Daimler’s 2.46 million Mercedes-Benz and Smart vehicles over the same period.

Mercedes-Benz said it posted sales records in Germany, China and the United States thanks to strong demand for its sports utility vehicles and high-end limousines.

Daimler said Mercedes-Benz sales rose 6.2% in China, where local customers ordered the top-end Maybach Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine at a rate of more than 700 vehicles a month.

Volkswagen's VOWG_p.DE premium arm Audi NSUG.DE said it had sold 1.84 million cars last year, up 1.8% year on year, thanks to a 4.1% jump in Chinese sales including Hong Kong.

Audi said it sold 19,500 electric e-tron models in Europe last year while Daimler declined to provide a figure for how many electric Mercedes-Benz EQC models it delivered to customers.