BMW Group expects its China sales to have double-digital growth this year, said the carmaker's new China chief Karsten Engel.

The growth is expected to be moderate, but still represents a substantial increase in actual sales, he said in a recent interview in Beijing.

The 30-to-40 percent growth of the past few years is unlikely to continue but its business in China still has good prospects compared with many other markets in the world, said Ian Robertson, sales and marketing board member of BMW, who joined Engel in meeting the Chinese press.