In order to make a list of the most important German cars of the past 10 years, we'd have to value the German car manufacturers based on their overall performance in the last decade. And in doing so we arrived at the conclusion that the best German car manufacturers internationally and not just in the United States or Europe are Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Audi, and Porsche.
This list consists of car models from these five companies and the importance was not solely based on popularity, best-selling models, or durability, but a combination of all and the relevance of the car in the company and the industry as a whole.
10 BMW 3 Series
When it comes to luxury cars, one of the most reliable car brands out there is BMW. This German company has been in the business for 103 years. With that history, they ought to know what they're doing, and they do. Bayerische Motoren Werke's international reach is far and wide, their emblem is one of the most recognizable in the world. Their cars, best-selling luxury vehicles purchased from every corner of the globe. The BMW 3 Series is one of the longstanding models of the company.
This decade showcased the 330i xDrive Sedan, Sportswagon, Gran Turismo, and the hyper-boosted M3. The cars are produced as sedans, hatchbacks, and station wagons. This is one of the most reliable cars from BMW and has been in production since 1975. A BMW 3 Series 330i Sedan is priced at $40,750 today.
9 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
To be awarded 2019's Most Recommended Car by Auto Trader is not an easy achievement. The 2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class is just the whole package. Luxury, comfort, innovation, and safety, this car has it all. But this award is just one that closes the decade for the E-Class model, it actually started strong in 2010 by getting Germany's Yellow Angel Award. It's the coveted award for the most popular car in Germany. A decade of prestige is the reason why Mercedes-Benz calls its E-Class the most intelligent business sedan. This model still sells even after the release of the C-Class models and is on its tenth generation, but ever going strong as one of the best executive cars in the business.
8 Audi R8
The Audi R8 does not shy away from those awards like what the Mercedes-Benz E-Class received. At the 2010 World Car of the Year Awards (WCOTY), the Audi R8 V10 bagged the World Performance Car award. The Audi R8 Coupe received the same award in 2016. In October 2018, the Audi R8 V10 Coupe was awarded the Editor's Choice by CNET via Roadshow. The Audi R8 is just one of the most beautiful models that came out of this German manufacturer's garage, and as the awards tell us, one of the best-performing models in the last decade, too. The 2020 Audi R8 Coupe's base price is $169,900, the model is powered by a 562-HP engine and accelerates to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds.
7 Volkswagen Golf
If the conversation is about the best-selling German car in the last decade, there's no doubt that the Volkswagen Golf takes home the whole cake. Apart from getting the prestigious WCOTY titular award World Car Of The Year in 2009 and 2013, the sale of this model is just through the roof in Germany and all over Europe.
This humble-looking little German compact car was first manufactured in the 70s and has evolved to become the consumer choice that it's been in the last 10 years. Today, the VW Golf compact comes in three other different models, the Golf GTI, e-Golf, and the Golf R.
6 Porsche Cayenne
In the relatively small world of midsize luxury crossover SUVs, Porsche is considered a leader with its Porsche Cayenne. The German car manufacturer's been around since 1931 but the Cayenne has only been produced from the start of this millennium. In 2013, the Cayenne was awarded by 4-Wheel and Off-Road magazine as the Luxury SUV of the year. Kelley Blue Book also awarded the Cayenne S-E Hybrid the Best Resale Value - Plug-in Vehicle in 2015. The Cayenne is one exciting Porsche vehicle with the recent release of the Cayenne Coupe and four other options for the Cayenne: Turbo, S, E-Hybrid, and Turbo S E-Hybrid.
5 BMW 5 Series
Here's another executive car manufactured by German car company BMW, the 5 Series is a BMW model that started in 1972. The start of this decade also marked the beginning of its sixth generation. These BMW cars might look similar from the outside, but what the owner gets from the steep prices are what's inside, under the hood and the comforts, technology, and security it offers. Rain-sensing windshield wipers, keyless entry, and front-and-rear park distance control are just some of the BMW 5 Series features and specs. The custom-powered BMW M5 was awarded 2018 WCOTY World Performance Car. The new BMW 5 Series 530i Sedan is currently base-priced at $53,900.
4 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class vehicles started production in the early 90s. But the one that we are familiar with today didn't really take form until 2012. This car was so popular and reliable that even with its pricing it was still pursued by car buyers all over the world. As a matter of fact, it was awarded World Car of The Year by WCOTY in 2015. More recently, this model won the 2019 Fleet News Award for Best Premium Car. Today's base price of Mercedes-Benz C-Class is $41,400, that's just the C 300 Sedan with 255 HP and an acceleration rate of 5.7 seconds.
3 Audi E-Tron
What can we say, the prize for the first, fully electric SUV, mass-produced by a German car manufacturer is held by Audi. While Jaguar's I-Pace beat them to it, Audi bested its German comrades in the electric SUV race. The close of the decade marks the beginning of the future of electric vehicles headlined by the name Audi E-Tron. This model is classified as a midsize luxury crossover SUV, and fully electric. This model was produced by Audi just last year and the base price is $74,800. The next exciting thing about the E-Tron is a new Sportback model, which will be unveiled soon. We just hope that the pre-order arrival time frame is not the same as the Audi E-Tron's.
2 Volkswagen Beetle
The Beetle is not only an important and iconic German car of this decade but for the last five decades, at least. From Bumblebee and Herbie in the movies, this model is everywhere and seen by every generation of movie-going and cartoon-watching fan. The VW Beetle, also affectionately called the “Bug,” may have been, in recent years, overshadowed by its brothers Golf and Passat in terms of sales, but the Beetle is on a global iconic level that the two newer VW models have yet to earn. Such sad news as this year marks the end of production of the famed Volkswagen Beetle, but we can still get a brand new one today at $20,895.
1 Porsche 911
This model may have begun production and distribution in the 60s, but it’s still one of the most important German cars of this decade. The Porsche 911 is a sports car through and through. Automobile evolution in the last 60 years has produced five different models of the Porsche 911: Carrera, Turbo, Speedster, GT3, and GT2 RS. To back up its claim as a sports car, the 911 was awarded World Performance Car in the 2012 WCOTY awards. This year Edmunds awarded the Porsche 911 Buyers Most Wanted Luxury Sports Car. The cheapest 911 model one can get today is priced at $91,100.