Sweden: 1950-2023 Historical Data now available

The Saab 96 was #2 in Sweden from 1966 to 1970

See the 42 Historical Data posts below.

Thanks to Nils from Auto Motor & Sport Sweden, there is now a Swedish models ranking on BestSellingCarsBlog without interruption since 1987. Thanks also to Rene, Torbjörn and STAC, I can share with you Swedish historical data from 1950 onwards.

The VW Beetle dominated the ranking during the fifties but was challenged by the Volvo PV444/544. The Volvo Amazon then took the lead from 1965 to 1967 before passing the relay to the Volvo 140 Series, best-seller in Sweden for 7 years from 1968 to 1974.

The Volvo Amazon was #1 in Sweden from 1965 to 1967

Then we witnessed the decade-long reign of the Volvo 200 from 1975 to 1984 , peaking at 21.6% share in 1981 and then passing the relay to the Volvo 700 in 1985 when it reached its best share at 14%. The Volvo 900 then took the lead in 1991 before being passed by the Volvo 850 in 1993 on its way to 14.4% share in 1995.

The Volvo 900 was the Swedish best-seller in 1991 and 1992

From 1997 to 2015 the Volvo V70 was the best-selling model in Sweden, that’s 19 consecutive years and the longest reign of any model in the country. In 2016, just as the V70 got discontinued and replaced by the V90, the VW Golf took the reins of the Swedish market and became the first non-Volvo to do so since 1962. That freak event was cancelled the following year in 2017 with the first annual win for a crossover: the Volvo XC60, then in 2018 the Volvo S/V90 took the reins of the Swedish ranking before the smaller Volvo S/V60 took charge from 2019 to 2021. The Volvo XC40 took the relay in 2022. In 2023, the Tesla Model Y was the 2nd non-Volvo to #1 since 1962.

The Saab 9-3 was #2 in Sweden in 2007 and 2008.

Meanwhile it is interesting to notice that although extremely successful, Saab never managed to place a model in pole position in its native country. The Saab 96 ranked #2 during the second half of the sixties and in 1970. The Saab 900, launched in 1978, finished on the podium most years up to 1994, peaking at 10.3% share in 1981, while the Saab 9000 was a regular favourite in the nineties, ranking #2 from 1990 to 1992. Finally, the Saab 9-5 was #2 from 2000 to 2004 and in 2006 whereas the Saab 9-3 was #2 in 2007 and 2008, before the brand disappeared in 2011.

Sweden Historical Data:

Sweden 1950: VW Beetle best-seller

Sweden 1955: VW Beetle and Volvo 444 head-to-head

Sweden 1960: VW Beetle and Volvo PV dominate

Sweden 1961-1964: VW Beetle gives way to Volvo Amazon or PV

Sweden 1965: Volvo Amazon and VW Beetle lead the way

Sweden 1966-1967: Volvo Amazon at end of reign, Saab 96 #2

Sweden 1968-1969: Volvo 140 Series on top

Sweden 1970: Volvo 142/144 at 18.9% market share

Sweden 1971-1974: Volvo 140 continues to dominate

Sweden 1975: Volvo 240 close to 20% share for its first full year

Sweden 1976-1977: Volvo 240 most popular

Sweden 1978: Volvo 240, Saab 99 and Volvo 340 on top

Sweden 1979-1980: Volvo 24o and Saab 900 dominate

Sweden 1981-1982: Volvo 200 and Saab 900 at their highest

Sweden 1984: Last year of reign for the Volvo 200

Sweden 1985-1987: Volvo 700 takes the lead

Sweden 1988: Volvo 700 leads, VW Golf #2 in record market

Sweden 1989-1990: Volvo 700, Saab 9000 and VW Golf on podium

Sweden 1991: Volvo 900 takes the lead

Sweden 1992: Volvo 900 and Saab 9000 on top

Sweden 1993-1994: Volvo 850 new best-seller

Sweden 1995-1996: Volvo 850 at its best

Sweden 1997: Volvo V70 and V90 dominate

Sweden 1998-1999: Volvo V70 #1, Saab 9-5 and Volvo S80 up

Sweden 2000-2001: Volvo and Saab dominate at home

Sweden 2002-2003: Volvo V70 and Saab 9-5 dominate, Megane a hit

Sweden 2004-2005: Volvo V70 #1, V50 arrives

Sweden 2006-2007: Volvo V70 leads, Saab 9-5 and 9-3 shine

Sweden 2008: new Volvo V70 #1, Saab 9-5 and Volvo V50 on podium

Sweden 2009: Volvo V70 and V50 on top, Passat #3

Sweden 2010: Volvo V70, VW Golf and Passat on top

Sweden 2011: Volvo V70 leads for 15th consecutive year

Sweden 2012: Volvo V70 #1, VW Passat at best ever

Sweden 2013: Volvo V40 lands at #5, still lukewarm

Sweden 2014: Volvo V70 celebrates 18 consecutive years on top

Sweden 2015: First podium ranking for the Volvo XC60

Sweden 2016: #1 car not a Volvo for the first time in 54 years

Sweden 2017: Volvo reclaims #1 models spot with old gen XC60

Sweden 2018: First annual win for Volvo S/V90, H2 freefall pulls market down 6.8%

Sweden 2019: Last minute surge edges market up 0.6%, Volvo S/V60 snaps first lead

Sweden 2020: Podium 100% Volvo for the first time in history, VW ID.3 #1 in December

Sweden 2021: Kia scores monthly win, Volvo S/V60 3peats at #1 in market up 3.1%

Sweden 2022: Volvo XC40 signs first ever win, VW ID.4 up to #4

Sweden 2023: Tesla Model Y topples Volvo XC40