South Korea's top automaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. sold a record number of recreational vehicles in the United States this year, driven by strong demand for cars designed for outdoor and leisure activities, industry data showed Sunday.
  

During the first 11 months this year, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 484,381 RVs, including SUVs, station wagons and minivans, according to the data.
  

The figure already outnumbers the 460,561 RVs that the two auto giants sold in the U.S. market for the whole of last year.
  

Given the current pace, Hyundai and Kia are widely expected to sell more than 500,000 RVs in the U.S. this year for the first time.
  

Since reaching 230,000 in 2008, Hyundai and Kia's U.S. RV sales continued to rise to surpass the 400,000-unit mark in 2011.
  

By model, Kia's Soul box-type vehicle emerged as the best-seller with shipments of 134,974 units in the 11-month period, followed by Hyundai's Santa Fe SUV with 108,616 and Kia's Sorento SUV with 103,337.
  

Industry sources attributed Hyundai and Kia's stellar performance to rising U.S. demand for vehicles that provide more space for equipment and driving comfort for traveling, and outdoor and leisure activities.
 
 
In the January-November period, the U.S. car market expanded 5.4 percent from a year earlier. Sales of passenger cars shrank 2.1 percent on-year, but RV shipments jumped 11.8 percent.
  

Sales of RVs in the U.S. are expected to grow at a faster pace in 2016 as oil prices are forecast to fall further next year in the wake of a recent U.S. interest rate hike, according to the sources. (Yonhap)