Fewer people bought cars in 2020 than usual, but some of the world’s top carmakers surprisingly withstood the pandemic year.
Drivers in the United States, as they do annually for nearly four decades, bought more Ford F-Series trucks than any other type of car. Those in countries like Argentina and Australia preferred Toyota vans, and Swiss drivers typically opted for a mid-size sedan made by the Czech brand Skoda. All this according to data from the website BestSellingCarsBlog.com, which analyzed car brands that surpassed sales charts from different countries around the world last year.
Toyota surpassed all other car brands in 2020 in world sales, beating Volkswagen to regain the title of the world’s best-selling car brand for the first time in five years. Toyota sold more than 9.5 million vehicles in 2020, which fell 11.3% from the 2019 goal, but a less precipitous decline than Volkswagen’s 15% drop to 9.3 million vehicles sold on 2020.
Globally, Toyota also sold the largest number of cars in 44 different countries around the world, according to data collected at BestSellingCarsBlog.com by the AutomotiveTouchup site. Volkswagen was again second, topping the ranking in 14 countries.
The world-class Toyota truck
While Toyota’s famous Corolla sedan (more than 1.1 million cars sold in 2020) and the Rav4 compact SUV (995,000 sold) were the two best-selling single cars in the world in 2020, a surprise from Toyota goes reaching the top of the country counts this year.
Spanish driver Fernando Alonso drives his Toyota Hilux during the Lichtenburg 400 qualifying test.
CHRISTIAAN KOTZE | AFP | Getty Images
This would be the Toyota Hilux, a medium-sized van that is sold in numerous markets around the world. The truck, which is often used in off-road racing competitions such as the Dakar Rally in Senegal, starts at approximately US $ 23,500 and was the best-selling vehicle of 2020 in 14 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Panama, South Africa and Fiji. The Hilux has not been available in the United States since the 1990s, when Toyota introduced its Tacoma tablet, but it has a reputation for being virtually indestructible (Toyota calls it the “toughest tablet in the world”).
Another surprise for some American drivers: the Skoda Octavia stood out among the most popular cars in the world, despite not being available in the United States. It is available in most of Europe with a base price of about $ 25,000 and was the best-selling car of 2020 in six countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.
However, Toyota and Volkswagen dominated the world ranking. The Toyota Corolla was the best-selling car in six different countries, including Ireland, Finland and Taiwan. The Rav4 was the best-selling car in five different countries, including Estonia, Iceland and Ukraine. Drivers from six other countries, including Bahrain and Yemen, preferred Toyota’s Land Cruiser SUV.
In comparison, Volkswagen-owned brands were the most popular cars in 14 countries, including Germany (the VW Golf), Norway (Audi’s E-Tron electric SUV) and the Netherlands (VW’s ID.3 electric hatchback). ).
A Lada Granta car during the presentation of new cars in the Lada Granta X, Vesta Cross, XRAY Cross and Vesta Sport style series at the 2018 Moscow International Motor Show at the Crocus Expo.
Stanislav Krasilnikov | TASS | Getty Images
Local flavors in larger countries
In many of the world’s largest countries, local carmakers reigned. Ford’s F-Series trucks, including the F-150, topped the U.S. market, even during the pandemic: sales fell more than 12% in the U.S. by 2020, but the trucks were still sold better than any other vehicle model in the US and Canada last year.
Ford Motor Company presents its new electric F-150 Lightning outside its headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, on May 19, 2021.
Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Images
Now, Ford is confident that long-standing success is entering the fledgling electric vehicle market at full speed. In May, the Dearborn, Michigan-based company unveiled its all-electric version of the F-150 truck, at a time when many of the world’s largest automakers are accelerating toward a future with more vehicles. electric on the market.
In Russia, the best-selling car of 2020 was the Lada Granta, a subcompact car manufactured by the Russian company Avtovaz (formerly known as the Volga) and the French Renault group. The Lada Granta is a particularly affordable car, which only costs the equivalent of almost $ 7,000. Meanwhile, India’s best-selling car was the Maruti Swift, a similar and affordable subcompact hatchback starting at the equivalent of about $ 7,800. It is manufactured by an Indian subsidiary of the Japanese Suzuki Motor Corp.
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