Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: Panama Is Getting Hooked On Hyundais

Matt Gasnier
by Matt Gasnier

Over the last few weeks we have visited Bangladesh, Venezuela, the USA in 1986 and Cambodia. May I interest you in a little trip back to the Americas this week to Panama?

No? OK fine, if you don’t want to go there, I’ve prepared 155 other countries for you to visit in my blog, and I can tell you it is muy bien, so click away!

The interesting thing about car sales in Panama is the way Hyundai is progressively establishing itself as the ‘go-to’ brand there, with 3 models in the Top 4 so far this year…

But first to the pole position: as it was the case in 2010, the Toyota Hilux is the best-selling model in Panama over the first 8 months of 2011 with 1,981 sales.

You may be surprised to learn that Panama is only one of 28 countries in the world where the Hilux is atop the ranking… Yes 28! No other car does better, and you can see the full list here.

Weekly bit of trivia: tick!

Below the Toyota Hilux is a full Hyundai armada:

The new generation Hyundai Accent is #2 with 1,733 sales, it was even #1 between May and July!

Down from #2 in 2010, the Hyundai Tucson IX (aka Hyundai ix35) ranks #3 in the 2011 year-to-date ranking at 1,632 units…

… and the new generation Hyundai Elantra is #4 with 1,098 sales but is up to #2 in August at 256 units.

As I said earlier, that’s 3 Hyundais in the Top 4 and by far Hyundai’s best year ever in the country. In fact, last October Hyundai sold the biggest amount of cars in a single month by any brand in Panama, with 1,409 models sold.

Further down in the ranking you will find the Toyota RAV4, Nissan Frontier…

…Kia Rio, Nissan Tiida and Nissan Navara.

The best-selling models in Panama over 8 months 2011:

PosModel8m 2011AugustPos201020101Toyota Hilux1,98130712,32212Hyundai Accent GL1,7339271,78633Hyundai Tucson IX1,63220432,04624Hyundai Elantra1,0982562 – –5Toyota RAV4974110694396Nissan Frontier895126497687Kia Rio809868 – –8Nissan Tiida7261105 –9Nissan Navara70953119171010Kia Sportage7008091,111510Honda CR-V70056101,0297

Figures are sourced from the Registro Único Vehicular.

Matt Gasnier, based in Sydney, Australia, runs a blog named Best Selling Cars, dedicated to counting cars all over the world.

Matt Gasnier
Matt Gasnier

More by Matt Gasnier

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 3 comments
  • Volt 230 Volt 230 on Oct 03, 2011

    BTW Not one single American car on that list, we just keep losing ground all over the world, except China, of course.

  • John R John R on Nov 08, 2011

    A little late on this, but lovin' to see the hometown prove me right in my purchase. :)

  • 1995 SC Man it isn't even the weekend yet
  • ToolGuy Is the idle high? How many codes are behind the check engine light? How many millions to address the traction issue? What's the little triangular warning lamp about?
  • Ajla Using an EV for going to landfill or parking at the bad shopping mall or taking a trip to Sex Cauldron. Then the legacy engines get saved for the driving I want to do. 🤔
  • SaulTigh Unless we start building nuclear plants and beefing up the grid, this drive to electrification (and not just cars) will be the destruction of modern society. I hope you love rolling blackouts like the US was some third world failed state. You don't support 8 billion people on this planet without abundant and relatively cheap energy.So no, I don't want an electric car, even if it's cheap.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Lou_BCone of many cars I sold when I got commissioned into the army. 1964 Dodge D100 with slant six and 3 on the tree, 1973 Plymouth Duster with slant six, 1974 dodge dart custom with a 318. 1990 Bronco 5.0 which was our snowboard rig for Wa state and Whistler/Blackcomb BC. Now :my trail rigs are a 1985 Toyota FJ60 Land cruiser and 86 Suzuki Samurai.
Next