American automakers know how to build a pickup truck Americans will love. But, as the rest of the world buys more cars, that’s becoming a less-impressive skill. A list of the 10 best-selling vehicles on the planet shows how Toyota earns its place as the world’s most successful automaker.
Data analysts from JATO Dynamics – a consulting firm that serves the auto industry – crunched the numbers to find the best-sellers globally in 2022. There are some surprises in the list, which highlights just how different demand is in America and outside of it.
Related: The Best-Selling Vehicles in America, 2022
The best-selling car in the world placed fourth in the U.S. Humans as a whole bought more Toyota RAV4s than any other vehicle in 2022. In America, Toyota’s flexible compact SUV placed fourth.
Just Two American Automakers Make the List
America’s best-selling vehicle is the Ford F-150. The F-Series truck has won the U.S. sales crown annually for over four decades. Globally, that places it ninth.
Ford, in fact, was one of just two American automakers to put a vehicle on the world’s best-selling cars list. And it came in decidedly second among domestic automakers. Upstart Tesla put two on the list. Its Model Y SUV placed third on the planet, and its Model 3 sedan made the list at tenth.
Sedans Still Relevant Globally
In the U.S., the humble sedan has been fading from relevance. Though the sedan enjoyed a slight sales bump last quarter, the SUV is king here. Worldwide, that’s less true. Four of the top 10 sales leaders were traditional cars.
Toyota Corolla Cross Surging Elsewhere
Another surprise on the list is the Toyota Corolla Cross. Toyota’s newest SUV is set up to be a sales success in the U.S. It’s a popular body style (a small SUV) from a builder with a great reputation and shares the name of history’s best-selling car. But, so far, it’s had a slow introduction in the U.S. It was just the eighth best-selling model on Toyota lots in America last month. It’s doing much better elsewhere. It’s already cracked the top 10 best-sellers globally.
Just one of the top 10 doesn’t appear on American sales lots. The Toyota Hilux midsize truck enjoys a global reputation as one of the most dependable vehicles on the road and is famously hard to destroy. Toyota doesn’t sell it in the U.S. Instead, we get the slightly larger, slightly more upscale Tacoma.
The Best-Selling Vehicles Globally in 2022:
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota Corolla
- Tesla Model Y
- Honda CR-V
- Toyota Camry
- Toyota Hilux
- Nissan Sentra
- Toyota Corolla Cross
- Ford F-150
- Tesla Model 3
