Hyundai Motor seems to be gaining appeal among its high-end customers, with large-car sales in the United States last month hitting a new record, industry sources said Tuesday.

The Korean auto giant sold 3,522 units of its larger, pricier models such as the Equus, Genesis, Genesis Coupe and Grandeur in the U.S. market in January.

The sales made up 8.1 percent ― the highest-ever ― of its total car sales at 43,713 vehicles in the month.

Last year, Hyundai sold a combined 46,376 vehicles in the U.S., of which large sedans accounted for 6.6 percent, up 1.2 percent from the previous year.

Sales of the 2012 Grandeur soared 450 percent to 8,431 units last year, while the Genesis, which first hit the U.S. market in 2008, sold 22,980 units, a new record as well.

Sales of the priciest Equus luxury sedan also increased 24.4 percent to 3,972 units, with its market share in the U.S. luxury car market growing from 5.7 percent to 7.1 percent over the past year.

“Sales growth of larger models is expected to be led to increased brand awareness in other car segments,” said a Hyundai official.

The carmaker plans to roll out the facelifted Equus in the U.S. within the first half of this year and the next-generation Genesis in the latter half.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)