The Soul box-type vehicle emerged as the best-selling car in overseas markets for South Korea's No. 2 carmaker Kia Motors Corp. this year, industry data showed Thursday.

According to the data, Kia Motors sold a cumulative 177,457 units of the Soul overseas during the January-October period of the year, the largest among its vehicle models sold overseas.

The sales figure exceeded the previous leader Pride subcompact, whose sales came to 176,979 units during the same period.

This is the first time that the Soul has risen to first in overseas sales among Kia Motors models since it was first launched in 2008.

Strong demand in the United States, in particular, helped the Soul climb up the ranking among Kia Motors' vehicles.

In the box-type car sector in the U.S., the Soul led the pack with its sales reaching 124,929 units until October, far outperforming other rivals, such as the Cube of Nissan, whose sales stood at 3,416 units, the data showed. (Yonhap)