Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. said Friday their combined sales jumped 44 percent in the United States last month from a year earlier on strong demand for their SUVs.

Hyundai and Kia sold 140,951 vehicles in the US in June, up from 98,005 units in the same month of last year, the companies said in separate statements.

Hyundai's sales rose 45 percent to 72,465 units last month from 50,135 a year ago, while Kia's also advanced 43 percent to 68,486 from 47,870 during the cited period.

Robust sales of Hyundai's Palisade, Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs, and Kia's Telluride, Sportage and Sorento SUVs boosted sales in the world's most important automobile market last month. 

"The dedication of our retail partners in delivering Hyundai vehicles with an outstanding consumer experience is paying off with even more sales records," Randy Parker, senior vice president at Hyundai Motor America, said in the statement.

From January to June, the companies reported their highest ever first-half sales of 785,646 autos, up 47 percent from 535,934 during the same period of last year.

Hyundai and Kia together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

US sales figures for Hyundai's independent Genesis brand were not immediately available. (Yonhap)