Volkswagen plans to double China sales by 2018

SHANGHAI, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Top European automaker Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE) said on Thursday it plans to double its vehicle sales in the Greater China area to 2 million units by 2018.

Volkswagen plans to add four models each year and double the number of its dealerships to 2,000 during the period, Winfried Vahland, president and chief executive for Volkswagen's China operations, said in a statement.

The automaker also plans to further increase its market share in China, which currently stands at 19 percent, a spokesman said.

Volkswagen, which competes with General Motors Corp. GM.N, Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T) in China and globally, sold 1.02 million vehicles in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau in 2008, up 12.5 percent from a year earlier. (Reporting by Fang Yan; Editing by Edmund Klamann)