Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: What The French Have Been Buying For The Last 60 Years

After taking you on trips to Monaco, the world for an eventful April World Round-up and the Top 100 best-selling models worldwide over the First Quarter of 2012, this week I will take you on a trip through space AND time, going through the cars the French have been buying for the last 60 years. And the answer is yes: they are all French. Never has a foreign model managed to top the sales charts in France, not even on the podium or in the Top 5… Enough of the French? I don't blame you, so you can visit 163 additional countries and territories in my blog, go on, you know you want to! Back to the French… First of all may I just say that this is just a summary. And if you are interested in lots and lots of data (as I know some of you are), you can check out the best-selling models in France for each and every year since 1949 here. I've even pushed the envelope to display the sales of absolutely every single model in France from 1984 to 1993, a rare Top 20 including imports for 1966 and 1967, and every monthly Top 10 ranking from January 1982 to December 1992 and from June 2004 onwards… There. This should keep you occupied for a few days… Back to the summary. Since 1949 it's either a Renault or a Peugeot that topped the models ranking in France, except for 3 times: the Simca Aronde was #1 in 1956… …the Citroen Ami 6 was the only Citroen in the last 60 years to hold the top spot in the country in 1966… ..no, the legendary 2CV never topped the French rankings… …nor did the more luxurious and revolutionary DS. Lastly the Simca 1100 ranked #1 in 1972. While it's aiming at the top spot in 2013 with the 208… Peugeot had 4 cars reigning over the French models ranking, starting in 1969 with the 204… …followed by the 205 in 1984, 1985, 1990 and 1991… …the 206 in 2001 & 2004… and the 207 from 2007 to 2010. Renault has been the most successful brand in France over the last 60 years, starting with the 4CV in 1949 (the year indicates the start of their stint at #1)… …the Dauphine in 1957… …the Renault 4 in 1962, it would end up being the most popular car ever built in France with over 8 million units… …the Renault 12 in 1973… …Renault 5 in 1974 (sold as Le Car in the USA….with mixed results to put it mildly) …Supercinq in 1986… …Clio in 1992… …and the Megane in 1997 . The Clio is the nameplate that has stayed #1 for the longest: 13 times between 1992 and 2011! And now, because you have been nice, here is a table of all best-sellers in France since 1949 with their sales volume and market share when available. If you happen to have access to data where it says n/a or ? please get in touch by commenting on here! If you click on the year or the model it will link you to a proper, full-blown article about that year. Best-selling models in France 1949-2011: Year France Best-seller Sales Share 1949 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1950 Renault 4CV 50,291 28.9% 1951 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1952 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1953 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1954 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1955 Renault 4CV n/a n/a 1956 Simca Aronde n/a n/a 1957 Renault Dauphine n/a n/a 1958 Renault Dauphine (p) 280,000 30.9% 1959 Renault Dauphine (p) 395,000 38.3% 1960 Renault Dauphine (p) 382,000 36.1% 1961 Renault Dauphine (p) 267,000 36.1% 1962 Renault 4L (p) 197,000 15.5% 1963 Renault 4L (p) 233,000 15.9% 1964 Renault 4L n/a n/a 1965 Renault 4L (p) 182,000 12.8% 1966 Citroen Ami 6 162,000 n/a 1967 Renault 4 177,950 14.5% 1968 Renault 4 174,000 13.4% 1969 Peugeot 204 150,000 11.0% 1970 Peugeot 204 n/a n/a 1971 Peugeot 204 n/a n/a 1972 Simca 1100 n/a n/a 1973 Renault 12 n/a n/a 1974 Renault 5 154,000 11.0% 1975 Renault 5 151,200 10.2% 1976 Renault 5 165,382 8.9% 1977 Renault 5 n/a 10.1% 1978 Renault 5 n/a 10.0% 1979 Renault 5 n/a 10.8% 1980 Renault 5 299,712 16.0% 1981 Renault 5 282,486 15.4% 1982 Renault 5 265,748 12.9% 1983 Renault 5 211,094 10.5% 1984 Peugeot 205 171,702 9.8% 1985 Peugeot 205 226,974 12.9% 1986 Renault Supercinq 219,570 11.5% 1987 Renault Supercinq 239,660 11.4% 1988 Renault Supercinq 241,653 10.9% 1989 Renault Supercinq 236,929 10.4% 1990 Peugeot 205 229,044 9.9% 1991 Peugeot 205 200,781 9.9% 1992 Renault Clio 233,209 11.1% 1993 Renault Clio 172,881 10.0% 1994 Renault Clio 194,034 9.8% 1995 Renault Clio 170,269 8.8% 1996 Renault Clio 163,396 7.7% 1997 Renault Megane 143,821 8.4% 1998 Renault Clio 166,937 8.6% 1999 Renault Clio 180,302 8.4% 2000 Renault Clio 187,660 8.8% 2001 Peugeot 206 211,220 9.4% 2002 Renault Clio 188,210 8.8% 2003 Renault Clio 162,979 8.1% 2004 Peugeot 206 151,250 7.5% 2005 Renault Clio 132,382 6.4% 2006 Renault Clio 134,001 6.7% 2007 Peugeot 207 131,623 6.4% 2008 Peugeot 207 136,283 6.6% 2009 Peugeot 207 131,333 5.8% 2010 Peugeot 207 126,854 5.6% 2011 Renault Clio 123,827 5.6% (p) indicates production figures. Data sourced with CCFA, Auto Plus, L'Auto Journal, Wikipedia and L'Argus. Matt Gasnier, based in Sydney, Australia, runs a blog named Best Selling Cars, dedicated to counting cars all over the world. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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