Finland: 1971-2012 More detailed Historical Data now available!
The Moskvitsh Elite was #6 in Finland in 1971
* See the direct links to 14 Finland Historical posts by clicking on the title! *
Thanks to Rene and STAC I can now share with you more detailed Historical Data for Finland for as far back as 40 years ago! Back then, the Fiat 600 dominates the models ranking followed by the Opel Kadett and… the Toyota Corolla with Finland being one of its first successful forays into European markets.
The Lada 2105 was the best-seller in Finland in 1981
Russian brands have been very popular with Finnish consumers: the Moskvitsh Elite ranks #6 in 1971 and the Lada 2105 is #1 in 1981, #3 in 1991 and still in the Top 10 in 1993.
Toyota Corolla
From 1991 onwards and for nearly 20 years the title of most popular model in Finland is a fight between the Toyota Corolla, #1 in 1991, 1993, 1998 and from 2002 to 2007, and the Opel Astra, leader in 1994, 1996 and 2001 - I don’t have data for 1992, 95, 97, 99 and 2000 – if you do please get in touch! In 2008 the VW Golf takes the relay for 3 years before passing it to the Skoda Octavia in 2011. Finally in 2012 the Nissan Qashqai takes the lead for the first time.
All 1970-2012 Finland Historical Data articles are below.
Finland Historical Data:
Finland 1971: Fiat 600 and Toyota Corolla shine, Moskvitsh Elite #6
Finland 1981: Lada 2105 takes control, Datsun Cherry #2
Finland 1991: Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sunny in the lead
Finland 1993: Toyota Corolla sovereign
Finland 1994-1996: Opel Astra in command
Finland 1998: Toyota Corolla and Opel Astra dominate
Finland 2001: Opel Astra snaps up pole position
Finland 2002-2003: Toyota Corolla reclaims leadership
Finland 2004-2006: Toyota Corolla reigns
Finland 2007: Toyota Corolla resists, Skoda Octavia up to #2
Finland 2008-2009: VW Golf takes command
Finland 2010: VW Golf best-seller, Opel Astra up 166%
Finland 2011: Skoda Octavia new best-seller
Finland 2012: Nissan Qashqai #1 for the first time
Many thanks to Rene for sharing 1971-2001 data and to STAC for 1993-1996 data!
Finland had this treaty of cooperation with the former Soviet Union until the early 1990′s which would account for the substantial number of Russian vehicles being sold there. Price was the primary factor as to why they sold well but it’s also that they’re suited for the Finnish climate & roads, especially in Lapland. When I visited Helsinki & Turku in 2000 I was amazed by the substantial number of Ladas on the roads but there were also a few East
German Wartburgs in Helsinki alone. Denmark is the only other Nordic country where Ladas & other East European cars are commonplace, Denmark’s high taxation rate on new motor vehicles being a factor.
Fascinating, I remember as a kid (a long time ago admittedly) we used to buy a lot of Moskviches, Skodas and Ladas in Britain, why?, because they were cheap, we still buy a lot of Skodas, the difference now is Skodas are very good and good value for money, love the historical data articles, thank you.
Glad you like it Ian!
cheers
Matt