Renault 12 15/09/2026 update: Now with Top 33 brands New passenger car sales in France progress 6.6% year-on-year in 1973 to 1,745,830, an all time record again. Renault (+3.5%) can't match its home market's growth rate and drops to a round 30% share. Peugeot (+16%) is the performer of the…
Topping off over 10 years of constant progression, the VW Fusca reaches what remains its highest production volume ever in Brazil in 1972 at 252,209 units. It then drops 6% in 1973 at 237,509. The Fusca claims 40% of the total Brazilian production in 1970, up to 45% in 1972…
Chrysler Valiant Rebel * See the Top 15 best-selling models by clicking on 'Read more' at end of post! * Thanks to info shared by Miguel we go back nearly 40 years to detail the best-selling cars in South Africa in 1973... The Chrysler Valiant was the most popular model…
Fiat 128 Fiat 127 * See the Top 65 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Andrea * In 1973 the Fiat 128 is the best-selling car in Italy for the 2nd year in a row, but the race was close with the Fiat 127 still gearing…
Volvo 144 * See the Top 10 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Rene * The Norwegian car market "consolidates" over the period: down 8% in 1972 to 74,680 and back up 19% in 1973 to 88,989 units. The Volvo 140 Series confirms its newly acquired…
Last year of European reign for the VW Beetle... * See the Top 3 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Flavio * This is the oldest official sales data I have about Europe, and it shows the VW Beetle in the lead with 439,200 sales ahead…
1970 Ford Falcon, Argentina spec * Many thanks to Bruno for making this post possible! * After leading the Argentinean new car market in 1965, the Ford Falcon reclaims the pole position in 1971 thanks to 26,135 sales, and in 1972 with 25,312 units. Bizarrely, it reaches its highest annual…
The VW Beetle is the best-selling car in Finland in 1972. * See the Top 50 All-brands and Top 50 models by clicking on the title * New car sales in Finland are up a stunning 34.5% in 1972 to 100.760 units, according to BSCB record the first annual six-digit…
Simca 1100 15/09/2026 update: Now with Top 36 brands ranking. The French new passenger car market gains 11.5% year-on-year in 1972 to 1,637,540 units. This is a new record. Renault (+18.1%) easily outpaces its home market to reach 31% share vs. 29.2% in 1971. Citroen (+1.5%) and Peugeot (+3.7%) are…
Ford is the best-selling carmaker in Ireland in 1972. We now have access to a Top 10 brands ranking for Ireland for 1972 which is the oldest data we have for this market. 62,603 new cars found a buyer that year. Ford dominates the charts with 22.6% share above Fiat…
1971 Chevrolet Vega While going through old issues of Wheels Magazine at the Sydney State Library I fell upon some info on the US car market in 1972: then the VW Beetle's domination of the small car segment was being threatened by the new Chevrolet Vega... Despite fire-risk carburettor and…
Fiat 128 * See the Top 60 best-selling models by clicking on the title! Many thanks to Andrea * Launched in 1969, the Fiat 128 becomes the best-selling car in Italy in 1972 and sells 239,675 units over the first 11 months of the year. During the same period the…
The Peugeot 204 is #1 in France for the third year running. Total Passenger Car sales (including imports) in France add up to 1,468,888 units. French brands including CV is at 1,370,014 (+13%) and with PC+LCV only at 1,288,403 (+13.7%). For the first time we have a complete brands ranking…
Fiat 600 * See the Top 55 All-brands and Top 50 models by clicking on the title * Finnish new car sales drop a steep 18.2% year-on-year in 1971 to 74.907 units and the brands ranking is completely reshuffled, now truly displaying Italian, Japanese and Russian influences. Fiat (+26%) ignores the surrounding…
1968 Austin Morris 1100 * See the Top 10 best-selling models for each year by clicking on the title! * The UK new car market hits a bump in the road over the period with sales stable in 1968 to 1,103,862 but down 13% in 1969 to 965,410. It rises…