South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday that sales of its latest version of the Santa Fe SUV hit an all-time monthly high in December.

Sales of the Santa Fe in December already exceeded the 10,000 mark last week here and have continued to rise. This is the largest ever since its third-generation was launched in December 2012, the company said.

Hyundai Motor said that about 500-600 units of the Santa Fe are being sold every day. If the current pace continues, the figure will be around 12,000 units in December, possibly setting a new monthly sales record for all generations of the model that debuted in 2000.

Behind the strong sales is the current popularity for outdoor and leisure activities, along with a temporary tax cut imposed on car purchases, which will expire at the end of the month, market experts say.

The Santa Fe will also likely set a new annual sales record this year. So far, Hyundai Motor has sold over 90,000 units of the Santa Fe, which is on track to reach around 93,000 units by the end of the year. (Yonhap)