List of bestselling automobiles
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Best selling automobiles are
passenger car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...
s and light trucks which, since the introduction of the Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1886, can claim to being the highest selling vehicles in the automobile markets. While references to verify the manufacturers' claims have been included, there is always the possibility of inaccuracy or hyperbole. A single vehicle can be sold concurrently under several nameplates in different markets, as with for example the Nissan Sunny; in such circumstances manufacturers often provide only cumulative units sold figures for all models. As a result, there is no definitive standard for measuring units sold;
Chrysler minivans The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North Americ ...
has sold over 16 million worldwide. Volkswagen has claimed its Beetle is the best-selling car in history, as it did not substantially change throughout its production run."Twenty million built and still going strong"
Bill Vance, ''Carguide''
By contrast, Toyota has applied the
Corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...
nameplate to 12 generations since 1966, which have sold over 50 million through 2021.


World's bestsellers

Four cars have been widely acknowledged as the "bestselling 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 surpassed by the Beetle, when the 15,007,034th was manufactured. Although The Model T has subsequently been credited with 16.5 million units sold, the error is inconsequential in light of the Beetle reaching 21 million."The 21,529,464th, and Last, Beetle"
'' The New York Times'', July 31, 2003
The Model T was eventually surpassed within Ford by the Ford F-Series, a
pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...
that is directly descended from the Model T roadster pickup. The Beetle remained the bestselling vehicle in the car industry until the late 1990s,"Top 5 Best-Selling Cars Ever"
Timeforkids.com, January 23, 1998
when it was overtaken by the
Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...
, due to the Corolla's good fuel mileage." Toyota Corolla"
John Pearley Huffman,
Edmunds.com Edmunds.com Inc. (stylized as edmunds) is an American online resource for automotive inventory and information, including expert car reviews based on testing at the company's private facility. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, Califor ...
, January 5, 2003
However, this was an example of the modern practice of applying a brand name across a wide range of vehicles, and retaining it for marketing purposes even as the car changes drastically."Toyota Corolla: The World's Favourite Car"
Sean O'Grady, '' The Independent'', September 25, 2006
While the first Corolla in 1966 was rear-wheel drive and rode on a 2286 mm wheelbase, the current
hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
and all-wheel drive models share a 2640 mm wheelbase and use a mechanically unrelated platform. Sales of the Beetle were also surpassed by its successor, the Volkswagen Golf. The original model Lada produced by AvtoVAZ of Russia, is the most numerous vehicle ever marketed without any major design change during its production history, with over 20 million units sold between 1970 and mid-2012. The Lada, sometimes known as the "Classic" in the West, was originally based on the 1960s
Fiat 124 The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and was the basis for several variants including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé ( 124 Sport Cou ...
but mechanically upgraded to cope with poor roads and harsh climates. Between 1970 and 1979, some 5 million cars had been produced. These were marketed as the
VAZ-2101 The VAZ-2101 ''" Zhiguli"'', commonly nicknamed ''" Kopeyka"'' (for the smallest Soviet coin, 1/100 of the ''Ruble''), is a compact sedan car (''small class, passenger car, model 1'' in Soviet classification) produced by the Soviet manufacture ...
(1200 sedan),
VAZ-2102 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st to 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies seek to understand what is li ...
(1200 estate), VAZ-2103 (quad headlights, higher-spec. interior than 1200), VAZ-2106 (improved 2103). Between 1980 and 2012 over 15 million more Ladas were produced, and these were badged for various export markets such as Rivas (UK), Signets (Canada), and Novas (Germany). The car was also built under licence in several countries (production figures unknown). Although various updates were made to the car's bumpers, steering columns, and interior fittings, as well as other minor mechanical improvements throughout its production life, the basic
Fiat 124 The Fiat 124 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by Italian company Fiat between 1966 and 1974. The saloon superseded the Fiat 1300 and was the basis for several variants including a station wagon, a four-seater coupé ( 124 Sport Cou ...
derived design remained unchanged.


National bestsellers


Brand bestsellers


Class bestsellers


See also

*
List of automobile sales by model This is a partial list of automobile sales by model. Wherever possible, references to verify the claims have been included, however even figures given by manufacturers may have a degree of inaccuracy or hyperbole. Also note that a single vehicl ...
* Automotive industry * List of automotive superlatives


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Bestselling Automobiles
Automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...
Bestselling Transport-related lists of superlatives