FEATURE
These are the top-selling cars around the world
SA loves bakkies and budget cars, but here are the vehicles that get motorists in other countries revved up
South African car buyers are enamoured with bakkies, small hatchbacks and compact crossovers, but it’s interesting to look at what type of vehicles are popular in other parts of the world.
When it comes to buying wheels, local consumer tastes sometimes differ considerably from other countries.
For instance, the best-selling new car in Europe last year was the Volkswagen Golf, while in SA the midsized hatchback market segment it fits into has all but died. The Golf sold over 205,000 units in Europe last year while locally the Golf GTI — the only model offered in the new 8th-generation range — was barely a blip in the sales charts and found a mere 270 buyers.
In SA the once-popular midsize hatch/sedan category has seen the demise of cars such as the Renault Megane, VW Jetta and Ford Focus in recent years as local buyers have flocked instead to crossovers and SUVs. The rising popularity of SUVs/crossovers is a global phenomenon, but in some parts of the world, including the US and South Korea, traditional four-door sedans are still posting good sales.
SA and Europe correlate in that their top-selling car models are either hatchbacks or compact crossovers, except that in Europe they are mostly more upmarket German or French brands. In budget-conscious SA the sales are skewed towards more affordable India-built cars including the Toyota Starlet, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Suzuki Swift, Renault Triber and Suzuki S-Presso.
Local motorists love their workhorses too, and the most notable difference between SA and Europe is the local popularity of bakkies and light commercial vehicles. The Toyota Hilux has been SA’s best-selling vehicle for years while the Ford Ranger, Nissan NP200 and Isuzu D-Max also move big numbers.
Latin America follows the SA trend in that its best-selling vehicles comprise a mix of bakkies and small budget cars.
Japan’s market is dominated by locally-built hatches, MPVs and crossovers, with Toyotas accounting for eight of the top ten sellers.
South Korean buyers also favour local brands, with the Hyundai Porter (we know it as the H100 bakkie) the top seller, with sedans and SUVs dominating sales lower down the order.
In the US it’s size and utility that counts, with the market dominated by large American-built pickups. The Ford F-Series is the top seller ahead of the Ram and Chevrolet Silverado pickups, followed by a string of large SUVs and sedans.
The UK’s top seller is the Ford Transit Custom van, but the remainder of the top ten is mostly a mix of compact hatches and crossovers led by the Vauxhall (Opel) Corsa. The UK is one of the countries leading electric vehicle (EV) adoption and the Tesla Model 3 was that country’s third best-selling vehicle in 2021. The Model 3 was the world's most popular EV in 2021 with sales of around 501,000, and the top-selling vehicle in Norway.
China also had an EV as its top selling car in 2021, with the Wuling Hongguang mini EV shifting 426,480 units.
SA is still far behind the battery-powered car trend and sold just 218 EVs last year, although that was a more than two-fold increase over the year before.
Here is a list of best-selling vehicles in different regions around the world:
SA’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Toyota Hilux — 36,085
VW Polo Vivo — 21,877
Ford Ranger — 19,077
VW Polo — 18,235
Isuzu D-Max — 16,426
Toyota Hi-Ace — 15,694
Toyota Starlet — 12,103
Nissan NP200 — 11,408
Toyota Fortuner — 9,236
Toyota Urban Cruiser — 8,887
Suzuki Swift — 8,332
Renault Kwid — 7,919
Toyota Corolla Quest — 7,860
VW T-Cross — 7,516
Renault Triber — 6,521
EUROPE’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
VW Golf — 205,408
Peugeot 208 — 196,869
Dacia Sandero — 196,792
Renault Clio — 196,243
Peugeot 2008 — 194,653
VW T-Roc — 186,644
Toyota Yaris — 182,590
Opel Corsa — 180,643
Fiat 500 — 174,739
Citroën C3 — 159,302
Renault Captur — 158,580
VW Polo — 152,617
Hyundai Tucson — 149,170
Toyota Corolla — 146,604
Dacia Duster — 145,753
UK’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Ford Transit Custom — 53,394
Vauxhall Corsa — 40.914
Tesla Model 3 — 34,783
Ford Transit — 34,293
Mini — 31,792
Mercedes A-Class — 30,710
VW Polo — 30,634
VW Golf — 30,240
Nissan Qashqai — 29,922
Ford Puma — 28,697
Kia Sportage — 27,611
Toyota Yaris — 27,415
LATIN AMERICA’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Toyota Hilux — 132,110
Chevrolet Onix (small hatch/sedan) — 124,070
Fiat Strada (small pickup) — 115,750
Nissan Versa (Almera) — 111,250
VW Gol (small hatch) — 94,420
Fiat Argo (small hatch) — 92,680
Hyundai HB20 (small hatch) — 91,150
Jeep Renegade — 90,270
Hyundai Creta — 89,380
Renault Kwid — 79,720
JAPAN’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Toyota Yaris — 212,927
Toyota Roomy (mini MPV) — 134,801
Toyota Corolla — 110,865
Toyota Alphard (MPV) — 95,049
Nissan Note (compact hatch) — 90,177
Toyota Raize (compact SUV) — 81,880
Toyota Harrier (midsize SUV) — 74,575
Toyota Aqua (compact hatch) — 72,495
Toyota Voxy (MPV) — 70,085
Honda Freed (mini MPV) — 69,577
US BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Ford F-Series (pickup) — 726,004
Ram pickup (pickup) — 569,388
Chevrolet Silverado (pickup) — 519,744
Toyota Rav4 — 407,739
Honda CR-V — 361,271
Toyota Camry (large sedan) — 313,795
Nissan Rogue (midsize SUV) — 285,602
Jeep Grand Cherokee — 264,444
Toyota Highlander (large SUV) — 264,128
Honda Civic — 263,787
SOUTH KOREA'S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Hyundai Porter (bakkie) — 92,218
Hyundai Grandeur (large sedan) — 89,084
Kia Carnival — 72,233
Hyundai Avante (Elantra) — 71,031
Kia Sorento — 69,934
Hyundai Sonata — 63,109
Kia Bongo (K2700 pickup) — 59,729
Kia K5 (large sedan) — 59,499
Genesis G80 (large sedan) — 59,463
Hyundai Palisade — 52,388
CHINA’S BEST SELLING VEHICLES 2021
Wuling Hongguang Mini EV — 426,480
VW Lavida (compact sedan) — 391,360
Haval H6 — 370,440
Toyota Corolla — 323,240
Changan CS75 (compact crossover) — 281,860
Tesla Model 3 — 272,950
Buick Excelle GT (midsize sedan) — 263,020
Wuling Hongguang (compact MPV) — 255,180
Nissan Sylphy (midsize sedan) — 250,380
Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (midsize sedan) — 249,770