Mercedes-Benz says June China sales up 52 pct

BEIJING, July 10 (Reuters) - Daimler AG's (DAIGn.DE) Mercedes-Benz unit on Friday said it sold 52 percent more cars in China in June from a year earlier.

Mercedes-Benz, which competes with BMW (BMWG.DE) globally, said in a statement that it sold more than 5,100 cars in China in June.

Sales, including its Smart minicar launched in the country in April, totalled 27,000 units in the first six months of the year, up 50 percent from a year earlier, it said.

Car sales in China, the world's largest vehicle market, rebounded strongly from an all-time low in 2008, bolstered mostly by a raft of government policy initiatives, including aggressive cuts in sales tax for small cars and rebates for buyers in rural areas. (Reporting by Kirby Chien; Editing by Chris Lewis)