Hyundai Motor saw its U.S. sales of Veloster, a three-door sports car, jump last month on the back of the company’s Super Bowl advertisement.

The company’s sales of the Veloster came to 3,240 units in the United States in February, up 91.4 percent from a year earlier.

The Hyundai vehicle is vying for the top place in the sport compact segment with BMW’s Mini Cooper and the Fiat 500, which posted sales of 3,686 units and 3,227 units, respectively.

The Veloster made a sensation in October last year, becoming the best-selling car in the segment with 3,724 units sold after a debut on the U.S. market in September.

But it lost steam after November and fell to third in December and January.

Its recent upbeat performance is attributable to Hyundai Motor’s Super Bowl advertisement aired on Feb. 5.

The commercial features a race between a new Veloster Turbo and a cheetah, which suddenly ends as the speeding Veloster outruns the animal in the very beginning.

The commercial gained popularity with U.S. consumers, finishing seventh in a ranking of Super Bowl ads measured by USA Today.

A company spokesman said the Super Bowl ad successfully promoted the new Veloster Turbo to U.S. drivers.

The turbo-charged Veloster will hit U.S. dealerships around this summer and is expected to boost sales again to outpace the Mini Cooper and the Fiat 500, he said.

The Veloster has an asymmetrical layout ― one door on the driver’s side, and two on the passenger side ― marking Hyundai’s first departure from traditional designs.

The vehicle will be fitted with a 1.6-liter gasoline direct injection engine that puts out 140 brake horsepower. According to the company the vehicle’s fuel economy comes in at 15.3 kilometers per liter.

According to Hyundai Motor, the Veloster will also come with a number of high-tech safety and convenience features including vehicle dynamic control and tire pressure monitoring systems.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)