Tucson is top here but a big beast rules the world
Hyundai’s SUV proves our best-seller, while Golf takes UK honours, writes Campbell Spray
THE Hyundai Tucson is still the country’s biggest seller this year, followed by the Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Octavia and Ford Focus. This is pretty much the sort of line-up there has been for a few years now, one or two family-sized SUVs, a saloon and a couple of smallish hatchbacks.
Come a couple of years and it wouldn’t surprise me if one of the new small SUVs such as the Seat Arona, Volkswagen T-Roc and Skoda Karoq make it on to the top five. However, they will have strong competition from the Hyundai Kona, which the Korean company aims to make the market leader — just as the Tucson is in the sector above. The present top-seller is the Renault Captur.
Over in Britain, the Golf is the most popular, with the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall/Opel Corsa making strong running.
There are more cars being manufactured today than any other time in history, with more than 88.1 million cars moving from the manufacturer into consumer or company hands in 2016.
But a worldwide survey by Park Indigo, the British parking website, shows that our cars here and in Britain are wimpy compared with the world best-sellers. In the US, the Ford F-150 is the best-selling car, just like the year before and the year before that. The F-series has been America’s best-selling truck for more than 40 years. Since its introduction in 1948, there have been many different variants — from high-performance models to off-road models, but beneath it all the F-150’s robust nature shines through.
The Toyota Hilux takes the title of the world’s favourite car model as it ranks as the most popular in 25 countries including Argentina, Australia, Honduras, Oman and South Africa. The next most popular model in the world is the VW Golf — the favourite for eight countries including Belgium, England, Germany and Norway. Following closely behind, the Toyota Landcruiser is the most popular vehicle in seven countries including Qatar and Papua New Guinea.
Toyota dominates the sales markets in 54 countries with 11 different models. The Japanese auto industry pioneer is now the world’s biggest carmaker, earning top marks from experts and customers for quality and innovation.
On the Park Indigo website, there is a map showing the top car in every country.