Ford Sales and Service Korea said Monday that it sold 657 Ford and Lincoln brand vehicles here in May, setting a new monthly sales record.

The sales figure, breaking the previous record of 614 set in April 2010, is the highest since the Korean unit of the U.S.-based carmaker was established back in 1995.

Ford has been seeing strong sales momentum in recent months. Its cumulative sales in the first five months this year jumped 49.8 percent to 2,712 vehicles from the same period last year.

“The stunning growth reflects our efforts to offer more diversified and quality options for customer choice in the market,” said Ford Korea CEO Jung Jae-hee.

Having released eight new models last year, Ford Korea is pinning high hopes this year on the diesel-powered Focus and the all-new Lincoln MKZ that were launched in January and May, respectively.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)