Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their combined sales in the United States grow nearly 18 percent in September, helped by strong demand for their recreational vehicle models, industry data showed Friday.
  

The two South Korean auto giants sold a combined 113,835 units in the U.S. last month, up 17.8 percent from a year earlier, the data showed. This outperformed the overall U.S. market growth rate of 15.7 percent in the cited month.
  

Hyundai Motor sold 64,015 cars in the U.S., up 14.3 percent from a year earlier, while Kia Motors' sales grew 22.6 percent on-year to 49,820 units.
  

The two ranked seventh in U.S. sales last month, with their market share inching up to 7.9 percent, the data showed.
  

Strong demand for their RV models, including the Tucson, Sorento and Carnival, drove the overall sales growth.
  

Hyundai Motor sold 7,925 units of the Tucson in the U.S., breaking the previous all-time monthly high set in July. Kia Motors also logged a 395.8 percent on-year jump in sales of the Carnival in September.
  

Meanwhile, the two auto giants rose to second place for the first time in premium sedan sales in the U.S.
  

Hyundai Motor sold 185 units of the Equus in August, and Kia Motors sold 386 units of the K9 full-sized luxury sedan in the U.S. market.
  

Their combined sales of the top-notch sedan models were the second largest following Mercedes-Benz, which sold a total of 2,044 units of the S-Class premium model, the data showed.
  

Their ranking was up from July when the two carmakers surpassed Lexus to rise to third in premium sedan sales in the U.S. (Yonhap)