BERLIN—Global sales of Volkswagen AG vehicles returned to growth in January on the back of resurgent sales in China, even as the company’s namesake brand declined in all other markets.

Volkswagen sold a total of 847,800 cars, trucks and motorcycles in January, a rise of 3.7% from a year earlier, from its stable of brands that include Volkswagen, Audi , Porsche, Skoda, SEAT, and truck makers MAN and Scania.

January’s sales report shows that Volkswagen’s strong position in China, and the continued strength of its premium brands Porsche and Audi are helping it cope with the erosion of its namesake brand in hard-hit emerging markets and the impact of its emissions-cheating scandal on sales in the U.S. and Europe.

“Developments on world markets at the beginning of the year are mixed,” Chief Executive Matthias Müller said in a statement. “The situation in Brazil and Russia remains tense, China is regaining momentum and the trend in Europe is generally stable.”

Sales grew strongest in China, rising 14%, while sales in Russia and Brazil, struggling with declining economies and volatile currencies, fell 30% and 39% respectively. Volkswagen’s sales in the U.S. declined 7% and rose about 3% in Western Europe.