Germany: Nameplates Records now updated with 2015 data

The VW Golf sold 414,132 units in Germany in 1992 – a record year.

* Click on the title for the Top 40 best-selling nameplates & Top 40 foreign nameplates *

We can now share with you an updated ranking of the the best-selling nameplates in Germany, ranked based on their record year in volume, since records began in 1946. Only 28 nameplates managed to sell upwards of 100,000 units in a single year over the entire period, among them only one foreign model: the Skoda Fabia. Only three nameplates delivered at least one year above 300,000 sales: the VW Golf, Beetle and Opel Astra, and only six were above 200,000: adding the Opel Kadett, VW Passat and Mercedes W123.

* Check out 70 years worth of German Archived data here *

The VW Beetle’s record year was 1961 with 348,929 sales

Among foreign models, the Renault 19 is #2 with a record 97,262 units in 1991 but it never managed to break into the annual German Top 10, peaking at #11 in 1992. The legendary Renault 4 is #3 and was the best-selling import in Germany for a whopping 14 consecutive years between 1967 and 1980, peaking at 84,900 sales in 1970 for an estimated 5th place overall that year. This is estimated to the be the highest ranking ever hit by a foreign nameplate in Germany, equalled by the Skoda Fabia in 2009.

The Renault 4 was the best-selling import in Germany without interruption from 1967 to 1980 

Peugeot is also very well represented with the 206 holding the record for the brand’s highest single model annual sales volume at 63,426 units in 2003 (#12), ahead of the 205 (61,220 in 91) and 207 (58,222 in 09). Fiat’s highest seller is the Punto with 60,197 units in 1995. The Toyota Corolla leads all Japanese models with a high of 52,870 in 1991, followed by the Mazda 323 and 626.

The Skoda Octavia beats its annual volume and ranking records in Germany in 2015. 

Records beaten in 2015 include the Skoda Octavia stepping up both its volume (57.907) and ranking (#6) bests, the Seat Leon improving to 42,125 sales and the Fiat 500 to 33,908 sales and #24, making its entrance within the Top 40 most successful foreign nameplates in Germany at #35.

Top 40 best-selling nameplates and Top 40 foreigners below.