Country-wise best-selling cars of 2021: Maruti WagonR tops in India
- Indians are continuing to bet big on hatchback and compact cars while Americans shower love on large pick-up models.
Maruti Suzuki WagonR emerged as the best-selling passenger vehicle in India in 2021. And while there is no surprise in this considering the WagonR has been a solid performer for years, the number of units sold is also one of the highest for any model anywhere in the world.
Motor1 recently reported on data released by JATO Dynamics which showcased the most popular car models in various countries across the world. In India, the WagonR wore the crown with 183,851 units sold in all of 2021. This is significantly higher than the number of units of sold of the most popular models in most other countries. The popularity and the sales figure indicates that while SUVs may be growing in preference the world over, hatchbacks and compact vehicles still rule the Indian automotive space.
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The popularity of hatchbacks and compact vehicles is also witnessed in various European countries. Peugeot 208 in France, Volkswagen Golf in Germany and Fiat Panda in Italy were the best-selling vehicles in all of 2021 in each of these countries, respectively. But the sales figures, obviously, weren't anywhere close to the number of WagonR units sold in India.
| Best-selling car models in 2021 | |
| India | Maruti Suzuki WagonR (183,851) |
| Germany | Volkswagen Golf (91,621) |
| France | Peugeot 208 (88,037) |
| UK | Vauxhall Corsa (40,914) |
| Spain | Seat Arona (21,946) |
| Turkey | Fiat Egea (49,698) |
| Russia | Lada Vesta (113,698) |
| United States | Ford F-Series (726,004) |
| Brazil | Fiat Strada (109,107) |
| Argentina | Fiat Cronos (37,435) |
| Indonesia | Toyota Avanza (66,109) |
| Source: JATO Dynamics |
The popularity of hatchbacks and compact vehicles is also witnessed in various European countries. Peugeot 208 in France, Volkswagen Golf in Germany and Fiat Panda in Italy were the best-selling vehicles in all of 2021 in each of these countries, respectively. But the sales figures, obviously, weren't anywhere close to the number of WagonR units sold in India.
The Americans, however, are continuing to buy pick-ups by the truckloads. The Ford F-Series was the power player and over 720,000 units were sold in the US in 2021 alone. The Ram Pick-Up was second with 569,000 units sold while the Chevrolet Silverado was third. The above-mentioned report finds that five of every 100 light vehicles sold in the US in 2021 was a Ford F-Series.
Across the Atlantic, in the UK, there were some big changes. Ford Fiesta lost its best-selling crown to Vauxhall Corsa while Tesla Model 3 was the second-best selling car here. This is significant because the Model 3 is the first all-electric vehicle to climb to a place of prominence in sales charts.
Sales in 2021 in almost every market in the world was fraught with several challenges, from the Covid-19 pandemic-related factors to the global shortage in semiconductor chip. As such, the performance of brands and models was rather topsy-turvy. However, the dominance of WagonR in India and the Ford F-Series in the US shows that most buyers in at least these two countries are still betting on what most have bet on for years and years.
