Kia Motors Corp., South Korea's No.2 automaker, saw its sales in Europe hit a record high for the third quarter, driven by strong demand for its SUV and customized compact sedan, data showed Monday.

According to the data compiled by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, Kia Motors sold a total of 95,102 units in the European market in the July-September period, up 9.7 percent from a year earlier.

The figure marks the highest for the third quarter. In September alone, Kia sold 39,923 units in Europe, up 9.2 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

Kia Motors sold 295,140 units in the first nine months of the year, up 8.3 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.

Kia's small SUV, the Sportage, continued to woo European customers with 25,308 units sold in the third quarter, up 5.2 percent from a year earlier. In the January-September period, a total of 81,310 Sportage units were sold in Europe.

The South Korean automaker's share in the European auto market stood at 2.8 percent as of September. (Yonhap)