Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's leading automaker, saw its sales in India last month surge on the back of strong demand for the Creta crossover SUV, industry data showed Monday.

According to the data, Hyundai Motor sold 47,015 cars in India last month, up 23.7 percent from a year earlier. During the January-October period, its cumulative sales also rose 13.7 percent on-year to 390,489 units.

The spike stemmed in part from strong sales of the Creta that Hyundai Motor developed to target customers in overseas markets.

Launched in July there, the Creta had topped India's SUV market until September. Last month, Hyundai Motor sold 7,225 Cretas in India, the second largest among SUV models.

A Hyundai Motor official said that the refined design and expanded use of high tension steel in the Creta seem to be the main reasons behind its early success in India. (Yonhap)