Best Selling Cars – Matt's blog

* See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title! *

In 1991 the Toyota Corolla is the best selling car in Japan for the 23rd year in a row at 319,704 sales and 6.6% share. It is followed on the podium by the Toyota Mark II at 193,286 units (4%) and the Honda Civic at 171,286 sales (3.5%).

Toyota Mark II

Other strong sellers include the Toyota Crown, Nissan Sunny and Toyota Carina. 1980′s superstar Toyota Starlet ranks 8th this year with 119,408 sales and 2.5% share.

Full Top 10 Ranking Table: click on ‘Read more’ below the Honda Civic pic.

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Next post: Japan 1992: Toyota monopolises podium with Corolla, Mark II and Crown

Honda Civic

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1991 Honda Accord

The Honda Accord leads the passenger car ranking for the 3rd year in a row with 404,712 sales, ahead of the Ford Taurus at 355,656 units and the Chevrolet Cavalier at 294,336 sales. In the meantime the Ford F-Series celebrates its 10th year atop the overall ranking.

1991 Ford Taurus

Opel Kadett

* See the Top 100 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Thanks to Florian for the data *

This year we have access for the first and last time to separate rankings for West and East Germany before both are counted as one country. Overall figures for the new reunited Germany are very impressive: 4,185,674 registrations, including 3,428,601 in the West (+13%!) and 757,073 in the East.

Added to this is the launch of the 3rd generation VW Golf at the end of the year and the replacement of the Opel Kadett by the Opel Astra at the same time and you have a pretty eventful year for the German market…

The VW Golf II keeps the lead in the general ranking with 328,651 sales and 7.9% share, and 12 of the following 15 models best their all time record in terms of volume! The Opel Kadett ranks 2nd at 261,308 units or 6.2%, the VW Passat becomes the 5th nameplate (after the VW Beetle, Golf, Mercedes W123 and Opel Kadett) to sell upwards of 200,000 units in a single year with 210,921 sales and 5% and the Opel Vectra is up 30% at 185,736 units.

Withe the Mercedes 200/300 at #5, the general ranking’s Top 5 reflects the West German ranking faithfully but East Germans have different tastes…

Renault 19

In East Germany the best-selling model in 1991 is the Opel Kadett with 62,866 sales (8.3%). The Renault 19 manages an amazing 2nd place at 43,944 sales (5.8%), making it the best-selling foreign model in the whole of Germany at #12 with a record 97,262 sales, the highest volume ever achieved by a foreign model in Germany in a single year – and the Renault Clio is #2 foreign model at #16 and 82,279 units. The VW Golf II takes the 3rd spot in East Germany (5.4%), and the Lada Samara ranks 5th (3.7%).

Other models to beat their record this year include the Ford Escort at 131,707 sales (#7), the Ford Fiesta at 130,923 units (#8), the BMW 3 Series with 125,472 sales (#9), the VW Polo at 123,079 units (#10) and the Opel Corsa with 98,865 sales (#11).

The arrival of the VW Golf III and Opel Astra throws the German ranking into a spin: the VW Passat manages to hold the pole position in December 1991 for the first time ever with 13,943 sales and a whopping 7.9% share, ahead of the Opel Astra (13,660) and the VW Golf III (11,064).

Full Germany Top 100, West Germany Top 30 & East Germany Top 40 Ranking Tables below.

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Opel Kadett

* See the Top 100 best-selling models for each year by clicking on ‘Read more’ at end of post! *

The Opel Kadett continues its perfect trajectory in the Netherlands and is the best-selling car in the country each year but sees its market share slip down through the period, from 9.5% in 1987 to 5.3% in 1991. The VW Golf passes the Ford Escort in 1987 to establish itself in 2nd place, a position it will keep until 1991, peaking at 4.8% in 1987.

Opel Vectra

The Opel Vectra, launched in 1988 to replace the Ascona, is an instant hit in the Netherlands, jumping up to #3 in 1990 and #2 at 4.3% share in 1991. The Ford Escort is strong throughout, staying 3rd each year except in 1990. Other good performers over the period include the Volvo 340/360 #4 in 1987, the Peugeot 205 #4 in 1988 and the Ford Sierra #4 in 1989.

Japanese models are getting stronger in the country, with the Nissan Sunny ranking 7th in 1987 (3.1%) and the Mazda 323 breaking into the year-end Top 5 in 1990 at #5, 16.142 sales and 3.2% and gaining one spot in 1991 to #4 with 15,353 sales and 3.1%, possibly the best rank a Japanese model ever held in the Netherlands at year-end.

Click on ‘Read more’ below for each year’s Top 100 Ranking Table.

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