Renault Samsung Motors Corp., the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., said Tuesday its July sales jumped 26 percent from a year earlier on increased exports.

Renault Samsung sold a total of 23,295 vehicles in July, up from 18,483 units a year earlier, due to strong demand for its SM6 flagship sedan and the QM3 subcompact SUV, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales rose 7.8 percent on-year to 7,927 cars from 7,352 units a year earlier. Exports climbed 38 percent to 15,368 from 11,131 during the same period, it said. 

The SM6 midsize sedan (Photo courtesy of Renault Samsung) (Yonhap)

In particular, exports of the SM6 sedan soared to 870 last month compared with just 10 a year earlier.

In the January-July period, the carmaker sold a combined 159,190 autos, up 12 percent from 142,413 in the year-ago period, it said.

The company's current lineup also includes the SM7 large sedan, the SM5 midsize sedan, the SM3 compact, the all-electric SM3 Z.E. sedan, and the QM3 and QM6 SUVs.

French automaker Renault S.A. owns 80 percent of Renault Samsung. (Yonhap)