Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's carmaker, said Sunday its recreational vehicles posted robust sales in Europe this year, led by the popularity of its latest compact crossover SUV Tucson.

Out of 323,503 Hyundai vehicles sold in Europe through August, 135,110 units, or 43 percent of the total, were recreational vehicles, the company said.

The ratio of RV sales has steadily risen from 22 percent in 2010 to 34 percent in 2014, surpassing 40 percent for the first time this year, it said.

Hyundai has released three SUV models -- Tucson, Santa Fe and Max Cruise -- and its small crossover ix20 in the European market.

Among the models, the Tucson is the best seller, posting 101,453 unit sales in the first eight months of this year.

"The brisk sales of SUVs are expected to raise profitability in the European market this year as they are more profitable than smaller vehicles," a Hyundai Motor official said. (Yonhap)