Think about this for a second. The world welcomed its seven billionth human early Wednesday morning, just 12 short years after surpassing the six billion mark. Danica May Camacho of the Philippines came into the world bringing with her the reinforced realization there are A LOT of people on this planet. It’s estimated that by 2025 there will be eight billion people on earth and 10 billion by 2083.
With the world’s population growing at an exponential rate, natural resources like food and energy are expected to become strained. That also translates to a myriad of people who need transportation whether it’s personal or public. When the internal combustion engine was first installed into a vehicle by German engine and car designer Karl Benz way back in 1885, there were less than 1000 gas-powered vehicles on the road. Fast forward to the current day and there are around 750 million gas-powered vehicles in the world. It’s been speculated that if the current trend continues, that number will double over the next 30 years. In honor of Danica May Camacho and every other person on earth here is a list of the top five best selling vehicles still in production today.
The Civic was first introduced back in 1972 for the 1973 model year and could be configured as a two-door model with a three-door hatchback version coming along a few months later. Early on luxury premiums such as an AM radio, heat, two speed wipers, and painted steel wheels came standard. Later on options like air conditioning, power windows and locks, and a six-speed manual transmission were added. The Civic has come a long way from the its early notoriety for rusting in three years or less to becoming one of the most familiar nameplates on the planet.
Perhaps one of the most iconic vehicles of all time, the Beetle is known for its unmistakable exterior styling cues. The “Bug,” as it’s affectionately known, was the go-to choice for cruising to the beach back in the day. However, while rusted-out floorboards weren’t a standard feature they were a chronic problem as time passed. The Type 1 body style halted world-wide production in June of 2003 as the final Bug rolled off the production line. When the dust settled 21,529,464 Beetles has been produced over an unprecedented 58-year production run. The Golf-based “New Beetle” was introduced in 1997 as the demand for Type 1′s began to dwindle.
The early 1970′s were a busy time for Volkswagen. After the introduction of the enhanced Super Beetle in 1972 the Golf followed two years later, and called the Rabbit here in the U.S. While the Golf was slated to be a long-term replacement for the Beetle, both of Volkswagen’s compacts lived simultaneously for decades. The Golf GTI “hot hatch” variant showed up a few years later adding a racing flair to the front-wheel drive hatchback. The first genertation was phased out in 1983, and over the years the Golf has gone through five more generations. The Golf checks in at number three on our list, as it is Volkswagen’s best-selling model with over 25 million assembled by 2007.
Touted as the best-selling truck of all-time the Ford F-Series stops at number two on our list. The full-size truck has been available to the public for decades, and has been the best-selling truck for 34 years running. The first-generation F-Series, known as the Ford Bonus-Built, went on sale in 1948 with optional “luxuries” such as “See-Clear” windshield washer fluid, a passenger-side windshield wiper, sun visor, and passenger-side tail light. Today’s F-150 is more sophisticated, to say the least, with optional leather, a navigation system, and an advanced 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6 engine.
Here it is: The bestselling car of all time is the Toyota Corolla. The subcompact and compact Corolla was first introduced in 1966 but it wasn’t until 1997 when it earned the title of bestselling car in the world. Spread it out over a half-century, and that equals one Corolla sold every 40 seconds on average. Early on, the Corolla was rear-wheel drive, but in the mid-80s it switched to front-wheel drive and never looked back. The (current) tenth generation Corolla was introduced back in 2006 and sales shot to an all-time high with 387,388 units sold.
So there it is, the top five most sold vehicles of all-time. Have you ever driven one of these vehicles mentioned above and if so do you have a favorite? Tell us about it in the comment section below.
With the world’s population growing at an exponential rate, natural resources like food and energy are expected to become strained. That also translates to a myriad of people who need transportation whether it’s personal or public. When the internal combustion engine was first installed into a vehicle by German engine and car designer Karl Benz way back in 1885, there were less than 1000 gas-powered vehicles on the road. Fast forward to the current day and there are around 750 million gas-powered vehicles in the world. It’s been speculated that if the current trend continues, that number will double over the next 30 years. In honor of Danica May Camacho and every other person on earth here is a list of the top five best selling vehicles still in production today.
5. Honda Civic (1972- ) 17,730,000+
4. Volkswagen Beetle (1938- ) 22,300,000+
3. Volkswagen Golf (1974- ) 25,000,000+
2. Ford F-Series (1948- ) 30,000,000+
1. Toyota Corolla (1966- ) 35,000,000+
So there it is, the top five most sold vehicles of all-time. Have you ever driven one of these vehicles mentioned above and if so do you have a favorite? Tell us about it in the comment section below.
Trevor Dorchies on November 4 2011 5:33 PM
Read more: http://blogs.automotive.com/the-top-five-best-selling-vehicles-to-ever-grace-planet-earth-64257.html#ixzz1d81EWbkH
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