Before scrolling down, guess the ten best selling cars of all time.
Back at the beginning of the year, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a feature via AutoGuide.com that listed the 10 bestselling cars ever. Although the markets today see more vehicles being moved than ever before, the list is still home to some cars that have long been out of production — lending great testimony to their tremendous success when they were available.
Others are not only still in production, but are selling better than they have ever been. Though this list provided has not been updated to account for 2013′s sales to date, chances are good that these cars will remain on this list for quite some time.
10. Chevrolet Impala
Over the course of its multi-decade life, the Chevrolet (NYSE:GM) Impala has sold 14 million units since its introduction as the Bel Air Impala in 1958.
9. Volkswagen Passat
Despite a shorter lifespan than the Impala, the Volkswagen (VLKAY.PK) Passat has moved 15.5 million units since its debut in 1973.
8. Ford Model T
The Ford (NYSE:F) Model T helped set the benchmark for mass-production cars. During its lifespan (which began in 1908), the Model T sold a hugely impressive 16.5 million units, making up a significant portion of all cars on American roads at the time.
7. Honda Accord
Honda’s (NYSE:HMC) Accord has garnered a strong reputation for reliability. It was originially released as a compact but has morphed into the ubiquitous sedan we see today. It has sold 17.5 million units since 1976 and is still going strong.
6. Honda Civic
Just ahead of the Accord is its younger sibling, the Honda Civic. Debuted in 1973 as a sub-compact, the Civic made a splash and has since moved 18.5 million units in the last 40 years.
5. Ford Escort
Ford’s Escort found far more fans in Europe than it did in the U.S. It’s lifespan lasted from 1968 until 2000, during which Ford sold 18 million of the cars worldwide.
4. Volkswagen Beetle
With one of the longest lifespans of any vehicle (that’s still in production), the original Beetle was released in 1938 and has since sold 23.5 million units. A significant redesign occrred in the 1990s, which saw engineers putting a modern spin on the beloved classic. Sentiments toward the car since then have been somewhat mixed.
3. Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf, with its 27.5 million cars sold since 1974, has proven to be a more popular model than the Beetle, offering a more straight-forward, compact look that a wider range of people are likely to find attractive.
2. Ford F-Series
The second bestselling vehicle of all time hasn’t been showing signs of slowing, either. Ford’s F-Series trucks have sat at the top of the bestselling cars list each month, usually by a margin of twofold over the second place finisher. All told, the F-Series has 35 million vehicles since its debut in 1948.
1. Toyota Corolla
1966 saw the birth of the Toyota Corolla, the world’s bestselling car at the time that this list was made. In the nearly 50 years since, the Corolla has moved roughly 37.5 million units, and the company has just recently unleashed a refreshed, redesigned model — while the older model was still breaking into the the top-selling cars monthly on a regular basis.