World's Top Ten Car Brands in 2010

Marcelo de Vasconcellos
by Marcelo de Vasconcellos

Here we go again. For your perusal pleasure, you’ll find below JATO Dynamics Brazil survey of the biggest car brands in the world’s largest markets in 2010 (as reported by Brazilian car business site automotivebusiness.com.br). Mind you, we’re talking brands here. We are NOT talking manufacturer groups. So Nissan is definitely separated from Renault, Fiat’s numbers do not include Chrysler, nor does Chevrolet include Cadillac or for that matter Wuling. It’s a little different from OICA’s list. And, to me at least, very interesting. I believe this list reflects better how consumers view the individual brands.

Fiat-Chrysler for example, out of the top 10 car groups’ listing, makes it back into the top 10 in the form of Fiat. The French twins Peugeot and Citroën leave, while Renault keeps the flour-de-lis flying in the top 10. According to the site that published the list, Kia makes it into top 10 for the first time. Chevrolet also, as a brand, posted an excellent recovery in 2010.

Every brand on the list posted double digit gains — except Fiat, Honda and Toyota. While the Japanese still grew a little, Fiat was the only one that actually lost ground. Ford had an excellent year, as did VW. Toyota managed to hang onto first though it grew slightly less than competitors. Of the Japanese, Nissan did best. Kia grew more than ten percent more than parent Hyundai. I’ll say it once, I’ll say it again, the ex-Audi guy at Kia is a lot better than that ex-BMW guy at Hyundai.

Car BrandSales 2010Sales 2009Difference1 – Toyota5,496,3465,128,6477.2%2 – Volkswagen4,407,0623,972,83910.9%3 – Ford4,320,7923,901,31510.8%4 – Chevrolet3,592,6002,939,02622.2%5 – Honda3,152,1973,017,4914.5%6 – Nissan3,088,2982,621,88217.8%7 – Hyundai2,931,3252,608,22012.4%8 – Fiat1,853,2821,954,250-5.3%9 – Renault1,668,6151,481,04512.7%10 – Kia1,593,6021,297,55522.8%

This all on strength of the global market recovering. As the US, but specially Europe remained largely stable, this showed just how important Asia and the rest of the developing world is becoming to car makers. However, as this year the US market is facing a strong rebound look for Honda, Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet to be even stronger next year. Chrysler could well climb back into the top 10.

Disclosure: the survey was carried out just in 22 of the world’s main markets, to wit: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the United States. It includes sales of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (pick-ups and vans, but no buses or heavy trucks).


Marcelo de Vasconcellos
Marcelo de Vasconcellos

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  • Jkross22 When I think about products that I buy that are of the highest quality or are of great value, I have no idea if they are made as a whole or in parts by unionized employees. As a customer, that's really all I care about. When I think about services I receive from unionized and non-unionized employees, it varies from C- to F levels of service. Will unionizing make the cars better or worse?
  • Namesakeone I think it's the age old conundrum: Every company (or industry) wants every other one to pay its workers well; well-paid workers make great customers. But nobody wants to pay their own workers well; that would eat into profits. So instead of what Henry Ford (the first) did over a century ago, we will have a lot of companies copying Nike in the 1980s: third-world employees (with a few highly-paid celebrity athlete endorsers) selling overpriced products to upper-middle-class Americans (with a few urban street youths willing to literally kill for that product), until there are no more upper-middle-class Americans left.
  • ToolGuy I was challenged by Tim's incisive opinion, but thankfully Jeff's multiple vanilla truisms have set me straight. Or something. 😉
  • ChristianWimmer The body kit modifications ruined it for me.
  • ToolGuy "I have my stance -- I won't prejudice the commentariat by sharing it."• Like Tim, I have my opinion and it is perfect and above reproach (as long as I keep it to myself). I would hate to share it with the world and risk having someone critique it. LOL.
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