Germany: 1980-1989 Detailed Historical Data now available!

The Mercedes W123 was #1 in 1980

* Click on the title for each year’s Top 100 best-sellers! – Thanks to Florian for the data *

I have now uploaded detailed data for West Germany all through the eighties! The decade started with a big surprise and the Mercedes W123 passing the VW Golf to become the country’s best-seller in 1980! This was the last year another model than the Golf was #1 in Germany, prefacing over 3 decades of Golf domination…

The VW Golf hits 378,856 sales in 1987

Looking at the sales figures in detail, you will notice that it is in fact the second generation Golf that took the nameplate’s sales to record levels, passing the 300,000 sales mark for the first time in 86 and reaching 378,856 units in 87, its best score so far and better than the Beetle’s best year. Same story for the Opel Kadett: the 1985 and last generation took the nameplate above 200,000 annual units for the first time in 86 and improved to almost 240,000 in 87.

The Mercedes 190 was #3 in 1984 and 85

For the first time in Germany, a BMW sells upwards of 100,000 units in a single year: it is the 3 Series in 84. Other successful models through the period include the Mercedes 190, #3 in 84 and 85, the Mercedes 200/300, #3 from 86 to 88 when it peaked at 156,293 sales, the VW Passat, #3 in 89 at 155,835 units and the Audi 80, #4 in 80, 87 and 88.

Over the period, foreign models reach levels not seen since the early seventies and the Renault 4: the Peugeot 205 hits #13 and 55,714 units in 86, the Fiat Uno peaks at #14 and 53,049 sales in 87 and the Mazda 626 is #16 at 48,911 sales in 88.

Direct links to these 5 new posts below.