Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. both reported double-digit growth in their U.S. sales in July, backed by strong demand for electric vehicles (EVs), data from the U.S. units of the South Korean carmakers have shown.

The combined sales of the two carmakers reached 143,787 vehicles last month, up 12.1 percent from a year earlier, according to Hyundai Motor Group and the U.S. subsidiaries.

Hyundai sold 72,857 vehicles last month, including 6,330 of its premium brand Genesis models, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier.

Kia's July volume came to 70,930, growing 14 percent from the previous year, with retail sales reaching 66,485, up 13 percent on-year.

Its EV and SUV sales jumped 72 percent and 17 percent, respectively, driven by solid demand for the Niro hybrid crossover SUV, the Carnival minivan and the Seltos compact SUV.

The combined sales of green cars, which include all-electric and plug-in hybrids, came to 26,498 vehicles, the largest-ever monthly figure, accounting for 18.4 percent of their entire sales volume.

Hyundai's green car sales rose 77.7 percent to 15,392 in the same period, while Kia sold 11,106 eco-friendly vehicles, up 71.9 percent from a year earlier.

By model, the Santa Fe hybrid EV posted 117.3 percent on-year sales growth, with that of the Tucson plug-in hybrid growing 44 percent over the cited period. Sales of the IONIQ 5 rose 109 percent.

Sales of Genesis, including the electrified GV70 and GV80, increased 21.7 percent from the previous year.

Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 10,385 EVs in the U.S. in July, up 109.1 percent from the previous year.

Their cumulative U.S. sales currently stand at 461,140 vehicles this year, up 14 percent from a year earlier.

Source: Yonhap News Agency