South Korean carmaker Hyundai Motor Co.'s Genesis ranked second in the U.S. market last month, beating the Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan for the first time, industry data showed Sunday.

Sales of the Genesis, the second generation of its kind, rose 13.4 percent on-year to 2,532 in the United States in February, following the BMW 5-Series sedan with 2,758 units in the mid-luxury market, according to the data.

The E-Class dropped to third place with 2,362 units sold over the same period.

It is the first time that the Genesis moved up to second place in the category since the model hit the U.S. road in 2008. Its first generation Genesis was named the North American Car of the Year in 2009.

Launched in 2013, the second generation Genesis is set to have the new brand name of G80 in the U.S. in the latter half of this year as part of Hyundai's global marketing strategy to improve Genesis as a separate premium vehicle brand. (Yonhap)