Renault Samsung Motors, the South Korean unit of French carmaker Renault S.A., said Monday its June sales rose 15 percent from a year earlier on increased exports.

Renault Samsung sold a total of 26,815 vehicles in June, down from 23,254 units a year earlier, due to strong demand for its SM6 flagship sedan, the company said in a statement.

Domestic sales fell 17 percent on-year to 9,000 units from 10,778 units a year earlier. But exports jumped 43 percent to 17,815 units from 12,476 units during the same period, it said.

In particular, exports of the SM6 sedan soared to 1,237 last month compared with just 13 a year earlier.

In the January-June period, the carmaker sold a combined 135,895 autos, up 9.7 percent from 123,930 in the year-ago period, it said.

The company's current lineup also includes the SM7 large-size sedan, the SM5 midsize sedan, the SM3 compact, the all-electric SM3 Z.E. sedan, and the QM3 and QM6 SUVs.

French automaker Renault S.A. owns 80 percent of Renault Samsung. (Yonhap)