VW Beetle * See 'Read more' for the Top 20 best-selling models, many thanks to Florian for the data! * The VW Beetle enjoys its last 3 years atop the German models ranking, making it 25 consecutive years. Over the period it slows down from 291,312 sales in 71 to 257,742…
Toyota is the best-selling brand in Finland in 1973 and the Corolla is the best-selling model. * See the Top 55 All-brands and Top 50 models by clicking on the title * Finnish new car sales gain 17.1% in 1973 to 117.967 and it's a historical year in Finland: only…
Seat 127 Thanks to Ricardo, I can now share with you the best-selling cars in Spain almost 40 years ago - this is the oldest data yet for this country on Best Selling Cars Blog. At that time Seat produced rebadged Fiats and had a total stranglehold over the Spanish…
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…