U.S. vs Europe: Top 10 Selling Vehicles in 2008

We’ve gathered the sales figures from Europe and the U.S. during the first five months of the year (January through May 2008) and compiled a list with the top 10 best selling vehicles from each side of the Atlantic. Having lived on both continents, here are a few thoughts that came up to mind:

If you’re an American, you’ll probably be surprised with these facts: A) 9 out 10 cars are subcompact hatchbacks or as Europeans call them, B (Ford Fiesta) and C (VW Golf) Segment cars; B) The European top 10 list consists of vehicles exclusively from domestic automakers; C) A premium mid-size sedan, aka the BMW 3-Series, has made it the top 10 list selling more examples in Europe than the popular Dodge Ram does in the States and D) GM’s and Ford’s European counterparts have 4 models in the top-10 list. -Continued

Respectively, Europeans would raise a few eyebrows because: A) Despite the surging fuel prices, 3 out 10 vehicles belong to the large pick up segment, including the number 1 model in the U.S., the Ford F-Series; B) Half of the top 10 best selling vehicles come from Japanese automakers; C) From the 5 “all-American” vehicles in the top 10 list, the only car that has a future if fuel prices continue to surge is the Ford Focus which is actually based on the previous generation Euro model and D) Not one European carmaker has managed to penetrate the top-10 U.S. market

Check out the complete top-10 list from both markets and drop us a line with your thoughts in the comment section below. (Pic: Carscoop)

	U.S.	Jan-May '08	Europe	Jan-May '08
1	Ford F-Series	235,924	VW Golf	208,800
2	Toyota Camry	198,309	Peugeot 207	204,379
3	Chevy Silverado	197,030	Ford Focus	176,698
4	Honda Accord	166,158	Opel Corsa	174,667
5	Honda Civic	164,994	Renault Clio	162,816
6	Toyota Corolla	152,308	Opel Astra	161,166
7	Nissan Altima	133,465	Ford Fiesta	151,050
8	Chevy Impala	122,281	Fiat Punto	151,050
9	Dodge Ram	112,795	VW Polo	125,427
10	Ford Focus	105,499	BMW 3-Series	114,203