September 2014 sales for Mercedes-Benz were the strongest ever for the month, and the third quarter was the strongest sales quarter ever in the history of the company. Mercedes sold 162,746 units worldwide in September, up nearly 14% year-over-year for the month. More than 25,000 of the company’s cars were sold in China, where sales growth of nearly 24% was the highest of any country, and unit sales topped even the company’s home country, where 23,506 Germans bought a new Mercedes in September.

In the first nine months of the year, Mercedes has sold 203,485 vehicles in China, up more than 30% year-over-year. U.S. sales in the same period totaled 233,211, just 15% higher than total sales in China and up 8.4% year-over-year compared with the first nine months of 2013.

So, we wondered, what is the total Chinese market for a Mercedes? In 2013 there were 19.38 million Chinese households with assets worth more than $491,000. Income in those households, which a Chinese survey dubbed the top 1% in the country, averaged about $246,000.

A top-of-the-line Mercedes S-class sedan could cost as much as $486,000 in China according to a report last year in Businessweek. So while a one percenter in the United States with an average income of $506,000 might be a better bet to buy a Mercedes, there are a lot more Chinese one percenters making up the average household income.

The Chinese government accused Mercedes of price-fixing last year, and last August the company was found guilty of manipulating prices on after-sales services in China. That could cost the company up to 10% of revenues when the penalties are assessed.

ALSO READ: Mercedes Sales Top BMW in September

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