Hyundai Motor Co boasted yesterday of record first-quarter sales on demand for new models, better performance in China and the launch of its luxury Genesis sedan.

Hyundai sold 712,529 vehicles in the first three months of 2008, a gain of 16.4 percent from the same period last year, the company said.

Besides being its best total ever for a first quarter, the sales figure marked the first time the company sold 700,000 vehicles in the first three months of a year, Hyundai said.

Hyundai sold 554,191 vehicles overseas, an 18-percent rise from the year before. In March, the company sold a record 99,870 vehicles made oversea. In South Korea, Hyundai sold 158,338 vehicles, a gain of 11 percent.

Hyundai spokesman Ki Jin-ho said that the figures were based on wholesale sales to dealers. Breakdowns by overseas regions will be released today, he said.

New models that contributed to the first-quarter results were the Genesis, the i30 hatchback and i10 minicar, Ki said.

The car maker also sold 7,982 Genesis sedans in South Korea, seizing the top spot for the quarter in the luxury sector, he said.

The auto maker has several overseas factories in the United States, China, India and Turkey. It opened its second plant in India last year and is due to open a second factory in China next week, cementing its expansion plans.