Bestselling automobiles of all time

Toyota Prius

In my Bestselling automobiles of all time I had ventured a rough estimation of the Top 10 best-selling cars in the world for that month, with the Toyota Prius family at 106,522 units and the Corolla at 102,000, making it the first time ever a hybrid car topped the worldwide models ranking. Now that pretty much all splits and detailed data has come through and thanks to the work of Austin Rutherford I can share with you a Top 20 ranking for March that is a little less rough…

Toyota Corolla

Disappointment for Prius fans at first sight: with 106,909 units sold in March the Prius family trails the Corolla at 111,725. Still astounding figures for both nameplates, placing them at a rate of above 1 million annual units! As a reminder the Prius figure includes 3 different bodystyles: the Prius ‘standard’ sells 48,160 units, the Prius c aka Aqua sells 34,522 and the Prius MPV sells 24,227. However from the Corolla’s side, the total figure includes loads of Matrix sales (the two models are not split in the US), over 8,000 Auris and 13,411 previous generation Corollas sold in China. Without these, the Prius family is on top an by far… So it all depends which way you look at it…

Ford Focus

The Ford Focus is very close to my original estimate and stays in third position with 97,365 sales which has to be one of the nameplate’s strongest worldwide months ever since it launched in 1998. Boosted by a huge market in the UK the Ford Fiesta is up one spot compared to my original estimate to #4 with 87,315 sales, followed by the VW Golf at 83,426. Very strong in the States, the Toyota Camry takes a remarkable 6th place with 77,431 salesvs.#12 over the Full Year 2011.

Honda CR-V

Extremely strong figures as well for the VW Jetta at #7 with 76,964 units, the Chevrolet Cruze at 75,200 and the VW Polo at 74,610. Helped by a successful launch in Brazil and India the Nissan Versa/Tiida/Sunny rounds up the Top 10 at just under 72,000 units. At 66,240 units, the Honda CR-V sells even more than what I had predicted (61,200) and should deliver the nameplate’s strongest worldwide month ever, but ranks #13 vs. #8 in my original estimate.

Honda Fit

The Hyundai Elantra drops from #6 in 2011 to #14 this month and the Wuling Sunshine goes from #7 to #17, reversely the Hyundai Accent is up to #16 with 56,645 sales while the Honda Fit, boosted by a best-ever score in Japan, goes from #32 to #18 and the Suzuki Swift/Dzire,helped by record-breaking sales in India, goes from #31 to #19. Now that production is back to normal in Thailand, the Toyota Hilux returns inside the Top 20 at #20 this month.

Full March 2012 World Top 20 Ranking Table below.

World March 2012:

Pos	Model	Mar-12	2011	Pos
1	Toyota Corolla	111,725	1,141,709	1
2	Toyota Prius	106,909	367,627	42
3	Ford Focus	97,365	882,551	2
4	Ford Fiesta	87,315	767,465	5
5	VW Golf	83,426	864,452	3
6	Toyota Camry	77,431	621,679	12
7	VW Jetta	76,964	695,159	10
8	Chevrolet Cruze	75,200	704,691	8
9	VW Polo	74,610	788,789	4
10	Nissan Tiida/Versa/Sunny	71,786	568,319	15
11	Ford F-Series	69,826	698,319	9
12	VW Passat	68,351	628,097	11
13	Honda CR-V	66,240	530,000	20
14	Hyundai Elantra	66,190	751,967	6
15	Toyota Yaris/Vios	59,444	556,092	16
16	Hyundai Accent	56,645	541,519	19
17	Wuling Sunshine	54,546	731,689	7
18	Honda Fit	53,696	399,000	32
19	Suzuki Swift/Dzire	53,562	399,446	31
20	Toyota Hilux	51,000	490,000	22

World's bestsellers  (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Three cars have been widely acknowledged as the "best selling automobile in the world" since Ford built its millionth Model T on December 10, 1915. The Model T itself remained the highest seller until forty five years after production ceased in 1927. On February 17, 1972 Volkswagen claimed that the Ford had been superseded by the Beetle, when the 15,007,034th was manufactured. Although The Model T has subsequently been credited with 16.5 million units sold, this anomaly is moot in light of the Beetle reaching 21 million.

The Beetle remained the bestselling vehicle until the late 1990s, when it was itself overtaken by the Toyota Corolla. This was an example of the modern practice of applying a brand name across a range of vehicles, and retaining it for marketing purposes even as the car changes. While the first Corolla in 1966 was rear wheel drive and rode on a 2286 mm wheelbase, the current front wheel drive versions share a 2600 mm wheelbase and use a mechanically unrelated platform.

Image	Automobile	Production	Units Sold	Bestseller	Notes
	Ford Model T	1908–27	16,500,000.[9]	1908–27	The first car to achieve one million, five million, ten million and fifteen million units sold. By 1914, it was estimated that nine out of every ten cars in the world were Fords.[9]
	Volkswagen Beetle	1938–2003	21,529,464.[6]	1972–97	The first car to achieve twenty million units sold.[1]
	Toyota Corolla	1966–present	39,000,000 to April 2012.[2]	1997–present	The first car to achieve thirty million units sold. The bestselling automobile in the world, with 1.36 million units sold in 2005.[3]

National bestsellers

Country	Image	Automobile	Production	Units Sold	Notes
Australia		Ford Falcon	1960–present	Over 3,000,000.[10]
Brazil		Volkswagen Gol.[11]	1980–present	Over 4,500,000.[12]
France		Renault Clio	1991–present	8,535,280 up to 2005.[13]
Germany		Volkswagen Golf[11]	1974–present	Over 25,000,000 to 2006.[14]
India		Hindustan Ambassador	1958–present	Almost 4,000,000.[15]
Italy		Fiat Uno	1983–present (1983-1995 in Italy)	Approximately 8,800,000 worldwide to 2004.[16]
Japan		Toyota Corolla	1966–present	39,000,000 to April 2012.[2]
Malaysia		Perodua Myvi	2005–present	77,657 at 2010.(or about 1,500,000 since 2005.)[17]
Poland		126p	1973–2000	3,318,674 in Poland, (plus 126 model - 1,352,912 in Italy; 2,069 in Austria, and an unknown number in Yugoslavia.)[18][19]
Spain		SEAT Ibiza	1984–present	3,949,597 up to 2008.[20]
Sweden		Volvo 200 Series	1974–93	2,862,573.[21]
Ukraine		Zaporozhets	1960–94	3,422,444.[22]
United Kingdom		Morris Mini	1959–2000	5,505,874.[23]
United States		Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 34,000,000 America's bestselling vehicle for 28 consecutive years;[24] 33,900,000 in 12 generations to May 2010.[24]

Marque bestsellers

Marque	Image	Automobile	Production	Units Sold	Notes
Alfa Romeo		Alfa Romeo Alfasud	1972–1989	1,017,387.[25]
American Motors		AMC Hornet	1970–77	Approximately 860,000.[26][27]
Aston Martin		Aston Martin DB7	1993–2003	7,000[28][29]
Autobianchi		Autobianchi A112	1969–1986	1,254,178.[30]
Avanti		Avanti II	1965-84 1987-88	An estimated 3,081 (not counting those made previously by Studebaker).[31]
BMW		BMW 3 Series	1975–present	Over 9,500,000 to 2005.[32]
Buick		Buick LeSabre	1959–2005	Over 6,000,000.[33]
Cadillac		Cadillac De Ville	1959–2005	Approximately 3,870,000 excluding early Series 62hardtops, 1981–1988, 1991–93, and 2000-05. (Total production for 1981–1988, 1991–93 and 2000-05 is unknown but a good guess is over 1,300,000.)[26][27]
Checker		Checker Marathon	1961–82	10,559 not counting taxicabs and private sales for 1961-63, 1976 and 1980-82 (private sales for 1961-62, 1976 and 1980-82 are unknown).[26][27]
Chevrolet		Chevrolet Impala	1958–present	Over 13,000,000 to 1996.[34]
Chrysler		Chrysler Newport	1961–81	Approximately 1,920,000 (excluding early Newport hardtops).[26][27]
Citroën		Citroën 2CV	1948–90	3,872,583.	Including commercial variants, the total figure is approximately nine million[35]
Continental		Continental Mark II	1956–57	3,012 (only car produced by the short lived Continental division of the Ford Motor Company).[26]
Crosley		Crosley	1939–42 1946–49	62,210 before introduction of series names in 1950 (does not include 1949 Hot Shot).[26][36]
DeLorean		DeLorean DMC-12	1981–82	9,200.[37]
DeSoto		DeSoto Custom	1939–42 1946–52	Approximately 570,000.[26][36]
De Tomaso		De Tomaso Pantera	1970–1991	7,260 produced over a single generation	[38]
Eagle		Eagle Talon	1990–98	Approximately 200,000.[39]
Edsel		Edsel Ranger	1958–60	50,803.[26]
Excalibur		Excalibur Series II	1970-82	2,230.[31]
Ferrari		Ferrari 360	1999–2004	Over 17,000 coupés and convertibles.[40]
Fiat		Fiat Uno	1983–present	Approximately 8,800,000 worldwide to 2004.	Sold over six million in Western Europe before being replaced by the Punto in 1995, while production continued in South Africa, Poland and Brazil.[16]
Ford		Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 34,000,000 America's bestselling vehicle for 28 consecutive years;[24] 33,900,000 in 12 generations to May 2010.[24]
Frazer		Frazer Standard	1947–51	Approximately 90,000.[26]
Henry J		Henry J Deluxe	1951	43,400.[26]
Hindustan		Hindustan Ambassador	1958–present	Almost 4,000,000.[15]
Holden		Holden Commodore	1978–present	2,400,000 to 2006.[41]
Honda		Honda Civic	1972–present	Over 16,500,000 to May 2006.[42]
Hudson		Hudson Super	1916–26 1940–42 1946–50	Approximately 600,000 not counting 1916-17 and 1940-42. (Production for 1916-17 and 1940-42 is unknown but a reasonable guess is about 80,000.)[26][36]
Imperial		Imperial Crown	1957–70	Approximately 127,000.[26]
Jeep		Jeep Cherokee (XJ)	1984–present	2,884,172 in North America until 2001; production continues in China.[43]
Kaiser		Kaiser Deluxe	1949–53	Approximately 130,000.[26]
Lada		Lada Riva	1980–present	13,500,000 until exports to Europe were discontinued in 1997.	Production continues in both Russia and Egypt.[44]
Lamborghini		Lamborghini Gallardo	2004–present	10,000 coupés and convertibles to June 2010.[45]
Lancia		Lancia Ypsilon	1996–present	over 870,000 to 2005.[46]
Lincoln		Lincoln Town Car	1981–2011	Aproximately 2,290,000 not counting 2005-2011. (Production of 2005-2011 is unknown but a reasonable guess is about 160,000.)[27][47]
Lotus		Lotus Elise	1996–present	over 20,000 produced over two generations to December 2004.[48]
Mazda		Mazda Familia	1963–2003	Over 10,000,000 up to 1995.[49]
Mercedes-Benz		Mercedes-Benz C-Class	1993–present	6,900,000 to November 2006.[50]
Mercury		Mercury Grand Marquis	1983–2011	Approximately 2,430,000 (excluding 270,000 1975-82 Grand Marquis built as part of the Marquis series).[26][27][51]
Metropolitan		Metropolitan	1958–61	55,215 as a separate marque under AMC.[52]
Mitsubishi		Mitsubishi Lancer	1973–present	Over 6,000,000 to the end of 2006.[53]	Figure may include the Lancer Evolution.
Nash		Nash Statesman	1950–56	Approximately 340,000.[26]
Nissan		Nissan Sunny/Sentra/Pulsar/Almera	1966–present	Over 15,900,000.[44] Ten generations, and four nameplates depending on marketplace.
Oldsmobile		Oldsmobile Cutlass	1961–99	11,900,000 across several platforms and generations.[54]
Opel		Opel Corsa	1982–present	Over 18,000,000 sold worldwide in 25 years and in 4 generations. 10 million of them were sold only in Europe.[55]
Packard		Packard Eight	1933–36 1938 1942 1948–50	Approximately 250,000.[26][36]
Perodua		Perodua Myvi	2005–present	77,657 at 2010.(or about 1,500,000 since 2005.)[17]
Peugeot		Peugeot 206	1998–present	Approximately 5,400,000 to 2006.[56]
Plymouth		Plymouth Fury	1959–78	Approximately 3,680,000 (counting VIPs, but not counting 1959 and 1962 Sport Furys and 1975-77 Gran Furys).[26][27]
Pontiac		Pontiac Grand Am	1973–75, 1978–80, 1985–2005	Over 4,000,000.[57]
Porsche		Porsche 911	1963–present	645,575 produced over six generations up to 2006.	Figure includes the 959, may include the 934 and 935 but not the 911 GT1.[58]
Rambler		Rambler Classic	1961–66	Approximately 1,460,000 (including those produced in 1966 under AMC).[26][27]
Renault		Renault Clio	1991–present	8,535,280 up to 2005.[13]
Rolls-Royce		Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow	1965–80	29,030 produced over a single generation.[59]
Saab		Saab 900	1978–93	908,810.[60]
Saturn		Saturn S-Series	1991–2002	Approximately 2,210,000 not counting 2002 (sales of 2002 are unknown).[61]
SEAT		SEAT Ibiza	1984–present	3,949,597 up to 2008.[20]	The sales of the fourth generation of the SEAT Ibiza, as well as those of its derivatives (such as the SEAT Córdoba and the SEAT Inca, or the rebadged versions) are not included in the figures.
Shelby		Shelby Mustang GT350	1965–70	7,368.[26]
Simca		Simca 1100	1967–1982	2,139,400	Figures include a small numer of complete knock down (CKD) kits and commercial versions.[62]
Studebaker		Studebaker Champion	1939–42 1946–58	Approximately 1,320,000.[26][36]
Subaru		Subaru Legacy	1988–present	Over 3,000,000 to 2005.[63]
Škoda		Škoda Octavia	1996–present	Over 2,000,000 to 2007.[64]
Toyota		Toyota Corolla	1966–present	39,000,000 to April 2012.[2]
Trabant		Trabant	1957–91	Over 3,000,000.[65]
Volkswagen		Volkswagen Golf	1974–present	Over 25,000,000 to 2006.[14] Became Volkswagen's bestseller in 2002.
Volvo		Volvo 200 Series	1974–93	2,862,573.[21]
Willys		Willys 77	1933–36	Approximately 68,000.[66]
ZAZ		Zaporozhets	1960–94	3,422,444.[22]

Class bestsellers

Class	Image	Automobile	Production	Units Sold	Notes
All-electric car		Nissan Leaf	2010–present	50,000 worldwide by February 2013.[67]	The bestselling all-electric car in history
Full-size car		Chevrolet Impala	1958–1985 1994–1996 2000–present	Over 13,000,000 between its introduction and 1996.[34]	The bestselling car in America in a single year, with 1,046,514 sold in 1965 including the Impala SS.[26]
Hybrid electric vehicle		Toyota Prius	1997–present	2,800,000 worldwide in three generations through October 2012.[68]
Pickup truck		Ford F-Series	1948–present	Over 34,000,000 America's bestselling vehicle for 28 consecutive years;[24] 33,900,000 in 12 generations to May 2010.[24]	World's bestselling truck for thirty consecutive years.[69]
Plug-in hybrid		Chevrolet Volt	2010–present	About 39,000 sold to December 2012; includes more than33,700 Volts[70] and over 5,200 Opel/Vauxhaul Amperas.[71]
Full-size luxury car		Cadillac De Ville	1959–2005	Approximately 3,870,000 excluding early Series 62 hardtops, 1981–1988, 1991–93, and 2000-05. (Total production for 1981–1988, 1991–93 and 2000-05 is unknown but a good guess is over 1,300,000.)[26][27]
Racing car		Porsche 997 GT3 Cup	2005–present	1,400 in a single generation[72]
Rotary engined car		Mazda RX-7	1978–2002	811,634 in three generations to 2005.[73]
Two-seat convertiblesports car		Mazda MX-5	1989–present	Almost 750,000 in the first two generations to 2005.[74]	Verified by the Guinness Book of Records as the bestselling two-seater, convertible (open top) sports car in history.