Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz brand posted its best-ever sales month in September, driven by strong deliveries of its compact car line and a jump in demand in China.

Global sales volume grew by 16 percent last month to 142,994, the carmaker said. Deliveries in the first nine months rose 10 percent to 1.06 million.

“Never before has Mercedes-Benz sold more vehicles in a single month than this September,” said Joachim Schmidt, head of sales at Mercedes-Benz Cars. “Looking at the previous nine months, we can safely say that Mercedes-Benz will post another sales record for 2013.”

Sales of the A class, B class and CLA compact models jumped 68 percent to 267,467 in the first nine months. Mercedes is planning to launch another model in the range, the GLA compact SUV, next year.

Sales in China, where the Mercedes brand lags rivals BMW and Audi, gained 21 percent to 20,375 last month. In the brand’s single biggest market, the United States, deliveries rose 7 percent to 24,679.

In Europe, sales rose 14 percent to 71,085, while in Germany, the carmaker’s No. 2 market, deliveries were up 2 percent to 22,897.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars including the Smart brand rose 14 percent last month to 151,520. Through September, the two brands sold 1.13 million, a rise of 9 percent.

Demand for Smart cars fell 8 percent last month to 8,526. The brand has announced plans to add a four-seat model to its lineup in 2014.