Full-size sedans are fast gaining popularity among South Korean motorists with their sales overhauling those of midsize cars in recent months, data showed Wednesday.

Domestic sales of full-size cars, including Hyundai Motor Co.'s Grandeur and Kia Motors Corp.'s K7, totaled 16,314 units in February, about 1,500 more than those of Hyundai's Sonata and other intermediate cars, according to the data from the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association.

It marks the third straight month that domestic shipments of full-size cars have outstripped those of intermediate sedans.

Industry watchers said it is very unusual for sales of full-size sedans to surpass those of midsize cars for a third month in a row.

"It represents an unprecedented development because mid-sized sedans had retained the status as the best-selling models in South Korea," a KAMA official said.

Shipments of mid-sized cars reached 209,350 units in 2015, compared to 135,572 full-size sedans sold. Last year, 228,642 intermediate cars were sold, compared to 145,672 full-size sedans.

Sales of full-size sedans gained great momentum after Kia unveiled the K7 early last year and Hyundai launched the all new Grandeur in November last year.

The new Grandeur instantly grabbed the attention of local motorists with its monthly sales exceeding the 10,000-unit mark for the third straight month.

In contrast, automakers suffered big setbacks in sales of midsize sedans. Sales of Hyundai's Sonata, often called the people's car in South Korea, came to 4,440 units in February.

Shipments of Renault Samsung Motors Co.'s SM6 and Kia's K5 ticked up to 3,900 and 2,726, respectively.

Market analysts said the surging popularity of full-size cars comes as motorists with deeper pockets are now turning their sights to high-end models over midsize cars.

Apparently affected by the shift in motorists' penchant, sales of compact cars tumbled 27 percent on-year in the first two months of this year with shipments of subcompact models nearly halving.

Local automakers are all out to bolster slumping sales of midsize cars. Hyundai, South Korea's top automaker, rolled out the latest version of the Sonata, which the company hopes will boost its shrinking domestic sales.

The Sonata New Rise is a facelift of the seventh-generation Sonata launched in March 2014 but features a better design, performance and safety that could easily make it the next generation, according to Hyundai. (Yonhap)