Seoul, Oct 15 (IANS): Hyundai Motor, South Korea's biggest carmaker, and its affiliate Kia sold more than a combined 200,000 eco-friendly vehicles in the United States in the January to September period, the companies said on Sunday.

The two automakers have sold a combined 213,270 eco-friendly cars in the U.S. in the first nine months, up 61.6 per cent from the 131,986 logged over the same period last year.

The tally was also higher than the annual sales of 182,627 eco-friendly cars sold in the U.S. in 2022, reports Yonhap news agency.

Among Hyundai's cars, Tucson Hybrid was sold the most at 30,353 units, followed by 25,306 units of its electric vehicle model, Ioniq 5, and 16,824 units of the Santa Fe Hybrid.

Among Kia's models, sport utility vehicles were popular.

A total of 30,604 units of Kia's Sportage Hybrid were sold in the January-September period, as well as 20,003 units of the Niro Hybrid and 19,927 units of the Sorento Hybrid.

Hyundai and Kia's strong performance came amid the two companies' efforts to expand their sales of commercial-purpose electric vehicles that are still eligible for tax credits under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) though they are assembled outside North America.

The share of South Korean automakers in the U.S. commercial eco-friendly vehicle market jumped to 55 percent in August from 5 percent last year, according to the industry ministry.