FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz saw its highest monthly sales ever in March.

The brand owned by Daimler AG got a boost from a recovering auto market in Europe and a big increase in China.

Mercedes-Benz sold 183,467 vehicles last month worldwide. That's an increase of 15.7 percent from the same month a year earlier.

The sales numbers were boosted by strong growth in Asia and in Europe, still the company's biggest market. Europe sales rose 16.3 percent while China alone was up 20.8 percent.

The company said Wednesday it saw stronger sales across its small-car lineup including the A-Class, B-Class, CLA and GLA.

Europe's car market is showing signs of life again after several years of decline during the continent's crisis over high government debt.