Henry Ford’s Model T was the first car to reach 5 million, 10 million and 15 million units sold. Between 1908 and 1927, 16.5 million of the cars were purchased by people around the world.
The car was so popular that Goodwood Road & Racing notes that in 1916, 55 percent of all motor vehicles on the roads of the world were Ford Model Ts.
It would take decades for any single model to outsell the Model T. Do you remember which car that was?
It was the Volkswagen Beetle, the first to reach 20 million sales, and with total sales of more than 21 million units.
Believe it or not, the Beetle ranks only fifth on the all-time sales list compiled by Goodwood researchers. By the way, at least a couple of the vehicles on that list may come as a surprise.
Here they are, in countdown order:
10. BMW 3 Series, with 16 million sales in 46 years of production.
9. (tie). Ford Model T and Ford Fiesta, each with 16.5 million units sold. In the Fiesta’s case, those sales took place over 45 years.
8. Lada Classic, 17.75 million units of this Russian-built version of the Fiat 126 were sold over the course of 42 years, and with the vehicle largely unchanged during that production run.
7. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, more than 18 million sold in 39 years.
6. Volkswagen Beetle, more than 21 million.
5. Volkswagen Passat, more than 23 million since its introduction in 1973.
4. Honda Civic, more than 24 million in nearly 50 years.
3. Volkswagen Golf, more than 35 million sold.
2. Ford F-Series pickup truck, more than 41 million since 1948.
1. Toyota Corolla, more than 50 million in 55 years.
