Retail sales of Hyundai Motor Co. in the United States rose 7 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier on rising demand for its sport utility vehicles (SUVs), the carmaker's US unit said Friday (Korean time).

Hyundai sold a total of 170,838 units stateside in the July-September period, down 1 percent, or 2,200, from a year earlier, according to a release by Hyundai Motor America on its website.

But its retail sales reached 161,254 units over the three months, up 7 percent from the same period last year

"Retail sales in the third quarter also increased, another indication that sales are recovering from the pandemic," Randy Parker, vice president of Hyundai Motor America, was quoted as saying.

The growth was led by a 21 percent on-year growth in September retail sales.

Hyundai America sold 51,784 retail units last month, while its total sales gained 5 percent on-year to 54,790 for the month.

Sales of its midsize SUV Palisade soared 125 percent on-year in September, with a 44 percent gain in sales of the Kona, a subcompact crossover SUV, and a 17 percent rise for the five-door SUV Santa Fe. (Yonhap)