Toyota Corolla Still Best-Selling Vehicle – Sorry Ford Focus

A heated debate has sparked between Toyota and Ford over who truly holds the title of the world's best-selling car. Which side do you stand on?

When it comes to global sales data, accuracy can be a real challenge. Many consumers assume that a Corolla is sold as a Corolla everywhere, but in reality, the model often gets different names or slight modifications depending on the region. This is a standard marketing practice for global automakers — a concept that Ford may have overlooked with its "One Ford" strategy.

For example, Ford and Polk, a data analytics company, exclude Corollas that come in different body styles or have multi-word names like the Corolla Rumion, which is sold in Japan. When you factor in all models sharing the Corolla name or platform, the total easily surpasses the Focus, with 1.16 million units sold compared to the Focus’s 1.02 million.

However, according to Polk’s data, the Corolla only sells around 872,000 units versus 1.02 million Focuses. But there are more issues with this data than just naming conventions. Anthony Pratt, Polk’s vice president of forecasting, explained that their figures are based on new-vehicle registrations from over 80 countries, covering 97% of global new-vehicle volume. In some regions, they even use sales data when registration information isn’t available.

Another factor to consider is the time lag between a car being sold and its official registration. In countries like the U.S., it can take up to 60 days before a vehicle is registered, which can skew the data if not accounted for properly.

At the end of the day, the title of “best-selling vehicle” is mostly about bragging rights. Still, it’s entertaining to watch the PR teams from major automakers clash over such a topic. Ford’s Merkle claims the Focus is the best-selling global nameplate, citing data from Polk, a third-party source. Meanwhile, Toyota’s Corbett insists that the Corolla remains the top seller, emphasizing that their goal is to build quality cars, not just chase rankings.

"Focus is 'the best-selling global vehicle nameplate,' Ford’s Merkle says. 'This is based on approved global new-vehicle nameplate registration data from Polk, a third-party source.'

No, 'Corolla is the best-selling vehicle,' Toyota’s Corbett says. 'We just want the truth to be out there.' Corbett adds, 'But our intent is not to be No. 1. Our intent is to make good cars that people want to buy. Being No. 1 is not the goal — it’s the result.'

So, what’s your take? Should Toyota include all variations of the Corolla in their sales count, or does Ford have a valid point in excluding them? The debate continues, and it's one of those classic automotive rivalries that never really ends.

What do you think? Is the Corolla still the true best-seller, or has the Focus finally taken the crown? Let us know in the comments below!

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