British-based luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover announced that China has overtaken Britain to become its largest market, with 71,940 cars sold in the country last year.

The sales soared by 71 percent over the previous year.

The carmaker, now owned by Indian Tata, attributed the fast growth in global sales to new model introductions.

Jaguar Land Rover plans to increase its dealership network in China by a further 30 percent in 2013, according to John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover's global brand director, despite the "intense competition" in the country.