We recently talked about Hyundai’s success in 2021 and the fact that almost every tenth car sold in Europe was a Volkswagen. Statistics for 2021 continue to roll in. Journalists from Motor1 studied 12 markets and ranked the best-selling cars in them.
This material should not be considered as a global rating. After all, for example, there is no information about sales in the Chinese market, which is one of the largest in the world. There is no information about other large consumers of cars. But there is data about some of our neighbors and from several very exotic countries.
Ukraine
Let’s start with ourselves. Despite the prevailing popularity of used cars, Ukrainians bought 103.3 thousand new cars in 2021. This is 21% more than a year earlier. The most popular new car among Ukrainians was the Kia Sportage crossover – 7,124 cars sold. The Toyota RAV4 took second place with 6,066 units. And the top three is closed by Renault Duster with a result of 5,602 sales. Thus, the 3 most popular models in Ukraine, which accounted for 18,792 sales, are crossovers.
USA
Due to the chip shortage, the US market has not returned to pre-Covid levels. However, among the 12 countries represented here, the states lead by a decent margin. As for models, everything is stable here – all 3 first places are occupied by pickups. In total, the 3 most popular models were sold in the amount of 1,825,157 units. By the way, Ford pickups turned out to be the most popular vehicles in Canada too – 111,332 copies.
Brazil
All three of the most popular models in Brazil were originally created for Latin American markets. First place for the Fiat Strada pickup truck. 2nd and 3rd places for compact hatchbacks – Hyundao HB20 and Fiat Argo. These 3 models accounted for 280,206 sales.
Italy
The first trinity of the most popular cars in Italy consists of older models. All 3 models are Italian compact hatchbacks and they accounted for 200,852 sales. In first place is the Fiat Panda, which also has an all-wheel drive version, which is a good choice for mountainous regions. Second place for the three-door Fiat 500, third place for the Lancia Ypsilon.
France
In France, in terms of car preferences, everything is also stable. The first 3 places are occupied by French models, if one can say so about Sandero, and, as in Italy, these are all compact hatchbacks. The Peugeot 208 is in the lead, with a very small lag behind the Renault Clio, which is not a sales leader for the first time since 2004. The top three is completed by the aforementioned Sandero, which is sold in France under the Dacia brand. Sandero showed a decent increase in sales: +44%. Perhaps the improvement in sales of this “Renault for the poor” was influenced by the recent generational change. These 3 models made a total of 250,474 sales.
Indonesia
Ukrainians know about the Indonesian automobile market somewhere at the “nothing” level. However, there is a real war going on here for leadership among Japanese automakers and local models. For 14 years, the compact crossover Toyota Avanza has been the constant sales leader here. However, for some reason, in 2020, the Honda Brio took the lead. Toyota was very upset, released a new generation of Avanza, and in 2021 the model regained its leadership. Second place is also occupied by the Mitsubishi Xpander, unknown to us. By the way, with a length of 4.4 meters, this compact crossover boasts 3 rows of seats. In third place is the Suzuki Carry kei truck. The total circulation of this trio is 127,479 units.
RF
In 2021, 1,666,780 new cars were sold in the Russian Federation, of which 308,096 were the 3 most popular models. 2 Ladas and Kia Rio.
Germany
Predictably, the most popular brand in Europe took all 3 prizes at home. The Volkswagen Golf traditionally ranks first in Germany. It is confidently ahead of its closest competitors, but its sales are steadily declining. In 2021, the Golf had a 3.5% market share in Germany, its best result since 1980. The second and third places clearly show the trends in consumer preferences. The T-Roc and Tiguan crossovers lag significantly behind the Golf, but they are also to blame for the decline in its popularity. These 3 models accounted for 204,572 sales.
Türkiye
Türkiye in terms of cars is quite close to Ukraine 5-10 years ago. For the sake of its own “automotive industry”, protective duties have been introduced in Turkey. You can import cars no older than 3 years, and customs clearance is 100% of the market value of the car. There are, however, very significant differences with Ukraine. While we produced Daewoo Lanos, Chevrolet Aveo and Lacetti, the Chinese and in small quantities some other (not always relevant and modern models) models, really good cars are assembled in Turkey. These are often modern models of current generations. And cars produced in Turkey are quite familiar to Ukrainian drivers. The VW Caddy officially delivered to us was of Turkish assembly. The compact sedan Renault Clio Symbol also appealed to many Ukrainian drivers. And this list can go on.
As for Turkey itself, the sales leader here is the Fiat Egea, which is a Tipo sedan. It is worth noting that in Turkey, Fiat has long been loved by local motorists. True, in 2021, the Toyota Corolla began to come close to the position of the Turkish Tipo, even surpassing the Renault Clio HB. In total, these 3 models sold 127,479 units.
Great Britain
The British market is notable for the fact that electric cars are really gaining popularity here, and the presence of the Tesla Model 3 in the top three sales leaders proves this. When it comes to the UK’s best-selling cars, it’s not quite as resilient. In part, we can say that Ford shot itself in the foot: the new compact crossover Puma has taken over some of the buyers from the Fiesta hatchback, which has been a sales leader since 2009. And in 2021 it didn’t even make it into the top three. The Vauxhall Corsa (the British version of the Opel Corsa) took advantage of this situation. In second place is the aforementioned Tesla Model 3. In third place is the family of three- and five-door Mini hatchbacks. It is not reported whether sales of the electric Mini are taken into account in this figure.
Argentina
In terms of buyers’ tastes, the Argentine car market is close to the United States. They also love pickup trucks, although different models. However, for the first time in the last 3 years, the top selling car in the country is not the Toyota Hilux. It was replaced in second place by the compact sedan Fiat Cronos. Third place for VW Amarok. In total, the three best-selling models accounted for 83,162 sales.
Spain
In 2021, the Spaniards bought the most Seat Arona. This compact crossover has been in production since 2017 and is gradually becoming obsolete. While the silver and bronze medalists are new models. The updated Hyundai Tucson has become a real sales hero in Spain and looks set to take the top spot in sales in 2022. Now he only needed a few hundred cars sold to win. Dacia Sandero is also not far behind. In addition, this is also a new model, offering a very good set of options and technologies for reasonable money.
Hungary
There is a clear trend towards Suzuki dominance in the local market. There are several objective reasons for this. In poor Hungary, fuel is quite expensive, and Suzuki also produces small, economical and, importantly, inexpensive models. Outside big cities, you can see cars like the Suzuki Ignis literally at every step. Well, since 1991 Suzuki has been assembled in Hungary. The most popular car among our neighbors is the Suzuki Vitara crossover. The second place in the sales ranking is occupied by the Suzuki S-Cros (successor to the previously popular SX4). Third place goes to the Fiat 500, which is both logical and unexpected. Inexpensive and economical. In total, the top three in the Hungarian market accounted for 19,344 sales.