Italy 1981: Fiat 127 and Ritmo neck-to-neck
Fiat 127
* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Andrea *
Italian consumers bought 1,739,282 new cars in 1981. The Fiat 127 is the best-selling model in the country but the fight with the Fiat Ritmo was intense. Only 0.7% market share separate the two models at year-end, with the 127 at 221.066 sale and 12.7% share compared to 208,713 and 12% for the Ritmo.
Fiat Ritmo
For its first full year of sales, the Fiat Panda brilliantly takes the 3rd spot at 174,917 units and 10.1% share. The Renault 5 is the best-selling foreign model in the country in 4th place with 80,903 sales and 4.7%, it is followed by the Fiat 131 at 77,823 units and 4.5% and the VW Golf with 70,600 sales and 4.1%.
Previous year: Italy 1980: Fiat 127, Ritmo and Panda on podium
Next year: Italy 1982: Fiat 127, Ritmo and Panda dominate
Full Year and December 1981 Top 10 Ranking Tables below.
Italy Full Year 1981:
| Pos | Model | 1981 | % | Dec-81 | Pos |
| 1 | Fiat 127 | 221,066 | 12.7% | 15,167 | 1 |
| 2 | Fiat Ritmo | 208,713 | 12.0% | 13,057 | 2 |
| 3 | Fiat Panda | 174,917 | 10.1% | 8,197 | 3 |
| 4 | Renault 5 | 80,903 | 4.7% | 3,679 | 6 |
| 5 | Fiat 131 | 77,823 | 4.5% | 5,351 | 4 |
| 6 | VW Golf | 70,600 | 4.1% | 3,900 | 5 |
| 7 | Fiat 126 | 56,531 | 3.3% | 2,663 | 8 |
| 8 | Autobianchi A112 | 55,100 | 3.2% | 3,157 | 7 |
| 9 | Alfa Romeo Alfasud | 45,055 | 2.6% | - | - |
| 10 | Ford Fiesta | 44,668 | 2.6% | 2,262 | 10 |
Source: Quattroruotte, many thanks to Andrea for sharing the data!
