COSTA MESA, Calif. -

It appears that consumers are gravitating more and more to Korean brands when looking at new vehicles, according to NADAguides.com, which said in its latest Consumer Market Interest Report that domestics are holding their own, as well.

Sharing the rankings of the most-researched vehicles on the site during the quarter, officials noted that the model generating the most interest was the 2012 Kia Sorento. The popularity of this model has surged, as its consumer interest was up 215 percent from the prior quarter.

This continues the strong results Korean automakers were already seeing on the site. NADAguides noted that from the first quarter to the second, it spotted “a clear trend toward Korean models.” The 2011 editions of the Sorento and the Hyundai Sonata were regulars on the list of vehicles getting the most attention from shoppers.

And then in the third quarter, Korean brands held their ground when new 2012 models were unveiled. Additionally, the already-launched 2012 Hyundai Elantra enjoyed a 157-percent hike in consumer interest during the quarter and came in at No. 4 in the popularity rankings.

The 2012 Sonata was the third-strongest model for generating interest.

“Kia is the fastest-growing car company in the U.S., and as our best-selling vehicle over the last two years, the Sorento, has been the cornerstone of Kia Motors America’s unprecedented sales and market share gains this year,” stated Michael Sprague, Kia Motors America’s vice president of marketing and communications.

“The Sorento, which is built at Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Ga., is a tremendous success story as evidenced by the fact it was the most researched vehicle on the NADAguides.com web site in Q3,” he continued.

Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAguides.com, added: “It is clear that the Korean makes are becoming more top-of-mind with consumers as their product offerings in different segments continue to breakthrough in terms of quality, price point, awareness and acceptance.”

Of course, Korean models weren’t the only ones attracting eyeballs during the third quarter: domestics grabbed two of the top-five slots on NADAguides’ list of most popular models.

In the No. 2 spot was the 2012 Chevrolet Equinox and placing fifth was the 2012 Ford Mustang. The Equinox earning this spot was the first time Chevrolet had cracked the top five all year.

Moving along, the site also listed the following models as top attention-grabbers: the 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Honda Civic, 2012 Nissan Altima, 2012 Chevrolet Silverado and the 2012 Hyundai Accent.

Breaking it down by segment, NADAguides discovered that small cars and midsize sedans — instead of SUVs and trucks — were the favorites among consumers, taking seven of the top 10 spots.

“It’s also interesting to note an uptick in interest in the number of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars and crossover vehicles. Our analysts see this as an ongoing trend as automakers competitively content and price these vehicles to meet consumer demand,” Snyder shared.