A man stands in front of a BMW 3 Series Long Wheelbase (LWB) car presented during the media day for Shanghai auto show in Shanghai, China April 16, 2019. REUTERS/Aly Song

BERLIN (Reuters) - German luxury carmaker BMW affirmed its target to increase sales this year after group sales rose by 3.2% in May year-on-year, driven by strong demand from mainland China.

“Despite the ongoing competitive and volatile global market environment, the BMW Group expects to achieve an increase in sales in 2019,” the Munich-based company said in a statement on Thursday, adding it will continue to prioritize profitability over volume.