China is now by far the biggest market for Mercedes-Benz, a region where the luxury carmaker is still selling more than 500 Maybach sedans a month.

The Maybach is the top variant of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class line, with a starting price of 140,000 euros.

"We are still seeing more than 500 sold a month. And if you see the prices, which we have no control over, then some customers are paying above list price," Hubertus Troska, Daimler's board member responsible for Greater China, told reporters at the Frankfurt auto show this week.

China's importance is also reflected in the latest design and development of all Mercedes-Benz models, Troska said.

"The cars are being tailored to the Chinese market more and more, and there is no big discussion about why," Troska said, adding that for almost every Mercedes-Benz model, China makes up 30 percent of sales.

Chinese customers want more comfortable rear seats, and more connection points for phones and mobile devices, among other features.

Also, Mercedes-Benz's advanced safety systems need to be carefully calibrated to work in China's traffic conditions, he said.