Daimler Ag's luxury brand Mercedes Benz sold a record number of cars in September this year.

The Stuttgart-based carmaker said it sold 142,994 vehicles during September, up 15.9% on the same month a year before.

It credited new versions of its E-Class and S-Class sedans, as well as increased sales of its smaller models such as the A, B and CLA-Class. Compacts increased sales as a group by 68.3% in the first nine months of the year.

September sales rose 6.7% in the US, the brand's biggest single market and 21.2% in China. Sales at home in Germany rose only 1.5 however.

Mercedes-Benz also increased sales 14.2% in Europe, where car sales have generally lagged because of recession and sky-high unemployment in several countries.