Hyundai Motor Co. is playing catch-up in the fast-growing sport utility vehicle market with its first subcompact crossover, the Kona.

The South Korean automaker said June 13 that the Kona will go on sale this month in South Korea before it launches in Europe and North America later this year.

Hyundai has long focused on the Sonata and other sedans. But in recent years, most growth in auto markets has come from crossovers. Hyundai's deteriorating profitability and missing of its annual sales targets in recent years were attributed to its failure to respond to rising global demand for crossovers.

With the launch of the Kona, Hyundai is seeking a slice of the subcompact crossover market, the fastest-growing auto sector. Sales of small crossovers snowballed by nearly 10 times from 2010 to 2016, Hyundai said, citing data from IHS Automotive. This year, the segment's annual growth rate is expected to be 19 percent.

Hyundai Motor has three crossovers. Tucson and Santa Fe cater to buyers seeking compact and midsize crossovers. The company plans to expand its crossover portfolio by 2020 by adding mini SUV and executive vehicles, among others. Before the summer of next year, it will launch a fuel-cell SUV and electric Kona.

Sales of Kona would be crucial to help counter Hyundai's eroding auto sales this year in the U.S. and China. Kona will come equipped with either a 175 horsepower, 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a seven-speed dual clutch transmission or a 147 horsepower, 2-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic. All-wheel drive is optional.

Showing the importance of the Kona to the South Korean automaker, Chung Eui Sun, Hyundai's vice chairman and son of its chairman, took the stage at a launching event north of Seoul. Named after a district in Hawaii, the Kona continues Hyundai's tradition of naming a vehicle after a particular region.