Sales of the Sonata LF sedan in the United States more than doubled from a year earlier to reach a new monthly high in July, the South Korean manufacturer of the passenger car said Sunday.

According to Hyundai Motor Co., 22,109 units of the midsize sedan were sold in the U.S. market last month, up 159 percent from the same month last year.

The July figure also marks a 66 percent spike from the previous month.

The company attributed the rise to the recent launch of the 2016 year model.

Since its launch in the U.S. market in May 2014, the new Sonata LF has sold an average 13,000 units per month.

With the large increase in sales, the car became the fifth most frequently purchased midsize sedan in the U.S. last month.

Hyundai Motor seeks to further expand its U.S. market share, introducing its award-winning new Tucson compact SUV there later in the month, followed by the launch of the new Elantra passenger car.

The South Korean automaker earlier said its overall sales in the U.S. gained 6 percent on-year to 71,013 cars in July, with its market share inching up 0.1 percentage point to 4.7 percent. (Yonhap)