The Top 100 Best-Selling Models In The World. (Hint: The Hyundai Elantra is Actually Not Millionaire)

Over the past few of weeks we have traveled to Chile and Georgia, Myanmar and Bolivia, the last 3 destinations being all your fault: you asked for it! Now I felt I had to interrupt this elan of generosity and hold on going to countries you asked for just for one week.

I have to rectify a very important ranking: the best-selling cars in the world.

You may remember earlier this year I wrote an article detailing the Top 10 best-selling models in the world in 2011, based on an article published on Forbes. Which I had a few issues with. Well a few official figures, a lot of work and a couple of long nights later, I now have a ranking that looks much more like reality…and is much bigger: the Top 100 best-selling models in the world in 2011!

All this after the jump.

But wait, if the world is too much for you to handle today, that’s fine because I have sales info for 160 countries for you to visit in my blog, all one by one. So don’t be shy and click away!

Back to the world.

Forbes said the Hyundai Elantra became millionaire last year. Not true. They must have added sales of the i30 in the mix or sumfin. Not fair.

So let’s get back to the beginning.

If the Toyota Corolla is confirmed as 2011 world’s best-selling car with 1,141,709 sales, a big disappointment is in store for Hyundai fans: the Elantra is far from threatening the Corolla for the pole position and is not millionaire in 2011 in spite of what Forbes told you. Even including the 3 generations of the model still in production somewhere in the world (especially in China), Elantra sales amount to 751,967 units, placing the model in 6th position…

In second place we find the now globally aligned Ford Focus with 882,541 sales…

…followed by the VW Golf at 864,452 units

…and the VW Polo with 788,789 sales, thanks to its success at every corner of the globe, from Europe to South Africa to China to India.

The Ford Fiesta comes in 5th position at 765,465 units ahead of the Hyundai Elantra.

Then, a crowded pack, consisting of the Wuling Sunshine with 731,689 sales and not the 900,000+ reported by Forbes, the Chevrolet Cruze (the best-selling passenger car coming out of a General Motors factory this year), Ford F-Series and VW Jetta. Suddenly it all makes sense, doesn’t it?

The Iranian Saipa Pride is at #13 – yes it doesn’t make any sense to add it to the 2012 Kia Forte as Forbes did: they absolutely have nothing in common. So I divorced them.

The best-selling SUV in the world is the Honda CR-V at #20 with an estimated 530,000 units.

World’s Top 30 best-selling cars in 2011:

But where’s the Top 100 I hear you ask? Fear not, You can check out 2011’s Top 105 best-selling models in the world here

Note this is not an official ranking but based on the country-by-country information, some official annual sales data by manufacturer and my best informed estimates.

Further down, the Toyota Hilux, #1 in 35 countries, is while the Hyundai Tucson/ix35 excels at #28 with 420,649 sales. Excellent showing also of the Suzuki Swift/Dzire at #31 with 399,446 units.

The BMW 3 Series is the best-selling luxury model at #36 and 384,464 sales and should improve vastly in 2012 thanks to the new generation. It is followed in its category by the Mercedes C-Class at the BMW 5 Series at #46 and the Audi A4 at

Best year ever for the Nissan Qashqai at #38 and 382,741 units.

With the Peugeot 207 at the end of its career at the 24 year-old Peugeot 405/Pars produced in Iran should be the brand’s best-seller this year at #52 and an estimated 306,000 sales!

Fiat’s top seller is the South American Uno at #54 with 297,234 units, above the Punto at #58 and the Palio at

Dacia manages to place its 3 models within the worldwide Top 100 with the Logan at the Sandero at #59 and the Duster at compared to only two Renault models: the Clio at #26 and the Megane at