Hyundai Motor received some 7,100 orders for its new subcompact sport utility vehicle Kona, the company said Tuesday at an event promoting the vehicle.

Preorders of the Kona, the company’s first subcompact SUV, surpassed 5,000 before official sales began in Korea on June 27. The total number of orders reached 7,100 two weeks later.

Hyundai Motor has displayed Kona vehicles at its exhibition centers nationwide over the past week to promote sales.

“There are more customers visiting the exhibition centers to see the Kona and placing orders,” Hyundai Motor Vice President Lee Kwang-kook said. “The company expects orders to further increase.”

Hyundai Motor aims to sell 26,000 units of the Kona this year and 45,000 units in 2018 in the domestic market.

Starting in August, Hyundai Motor plans on shipping the model to the European market, where sales of SUVs and crossovers are rapidly growing, and to the US in December, according to the company.

Hyundai Motor targets to ship around 41,000 units of the Kona to the two major overseas markets this year and some 150,000 units next year, made up of 110,000 units to Europe and 40,000 units to the US.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)