America is known for many things, being the Land of the Free, an industrial powerhouse, and being obsessed with making great cars. According to Statista, during 2020 almost 78 million passenger vehicles were produced globally (not including light commercial, heavy trucks, buses, coaches, and minibusses), with the USA pumping out 2.2 million units.
Currently, there's a slump in American car sales, but during 2020, according to Statista, 3.4 million cars were sold.
Those with a sharp eye will have noticed that Americans bought an additional 1.2 million cars more than they produced. This means that there's a need for more foreign cars, so this got our "brain-cogs" turning, and we asked ourselves which foreign cars are outselling domestic models in their own country?
Well, luckily for us, all the automotive brands gladly share their sales stats. Here's what we found when looking at what foreign car models are beating the local brands. All the following data was sourced from the manufacturers themselves.
9 Toyota Tacoma
In the US market, the king of the small and midsized pickup is the Toyota Tacoma. In the first three quarters of 2021, an estimated 200,631 units were sold, which means that it owns a whopping 41,2% of the market segment. And we're not surprised really...
''The next best seller in these segments is the Ford Ranger, which sold 72,706 units in the same period. To say that the Tacoma is the winner is an understatement - it dominates!
8 Kia Soul
The Kia Soul is a quirky little Korean gem that is bursting with character. It's a vehicle that's constantly evolved and with the third generation, Kia has hit it out of the park with its turbocharged engine and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
We've sung the Soul's praises for being the best US subcompact car on the market.
And the sales figures for 2021 reflect the fact that Americans agree. During the first three quarters of 2021, the Kia Soul sold 60,345 units and owned 37,6% of the market. It's worth noting that the best-selling American car in this segment is the Chevrolet Sonic, which moved only 1,563 units during the same period.
7 Toyota Sienna
For a car segment that originated in America, the foreign manufacturers have moved in and dominated. While the "hey-day" of the minivan might be behind us, there's been an uptick in sales of this vehicle genre, and the top spot in this segment is the Toyota Sienna.
It comes with all-wheel drive and is standard with hybrid technology, has a towing capacity, loads of comfort, and is pleasing to look at. During the first three quarters of 2021, 83,447 units were sold, and the Sienna has laid claim to 35,6% of the market share. And, if you compare the year-on-year change in sales, they've increased by 190%.
The Chrysler Pacifica, America's AWD minivan, sold 59,502 units during the same period in 2021, and year-on-year sales have dropped 7%.
6 Honda HR-V
The Honda HR-V is a small crossover that Americans have gravitated towards due to the fact it is a family vehicle that offers comfort, reliability, and loads of features. As with all Honda products it's designed for family use. And young American families are buying what the Japanese are selling.
During the first three-quarters of 2021, 68,441 units were sold. But as this segment is highly competitive and growing this little gem isn't miles ahead of the competition. The Subaru Crosstrek sold a respectable 64,214 units during the same period.
The best-selling American car in this segment is Chevrolet TrailBlazer, which sold 48,37 units, with Buick's Ecore GX seeing a whopping 277% growth in sales, year-on-year. This might be a segment the Americans can claw back in the future.
5 Toyota Corolla
A legendary car, the Toyota Corolla has always been the compact sedan to beat in the American market - and the world. Most domestic brands have just withdrawn from the segment completely to leave the Japanese giants fight it out for the top spot - otherwise known as the battle between the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic.
It's worth mentioning that the Honda Civic out-sold the Toyota during the second and third quarter of 2021, but was shoved off the top spot by 1,200 units. So, how many units have the two brands sold during the first three quarters of 2021?
The Toyota Corolla moved 217,727 units and the Honda Civic sold 216,575. Currently, the only American car in the segment is the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which moved 24,803 units. And now let's look at another Toyota dominating the US market.
4 Toyota Highlander
Another Toyota is added to the list, but this one is a bit of a surprise. The Toyota Highlander is now the best-selling midsized SUV for the first three quarters of 2021, moving 207,564 units. This is the American automotive industry bread basket, with contenders like the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and the Ford Explorer in the segment - so what happened?
A global shortage of semiconductor chips - that's what happened. The news of this shortage caused a surge in demand during the first quarter of 2021for American brands, but as the year progressed the local automotive manufacturers couldn't keep up. At the beginning of the year, the Ford Explorer held the top spot and tumbled right off the podium after the third quarter because production had to slow down.
This is a highly competitive segment and the Toyota Highlander could lose its top spot. But for now, it's beating the Americans at their own game.
Oh, did someone ask about another winning Toyota?
3 Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is another Japanese giant that dominates the midsized car market in the USA. It outsold the next competitor by almost 100,000 units for the first three quarters of 2021, moving 256,769 units. It's a car with a legacy of making small and important changes over decades, and now, it's a vehicle that's far from being boring.
Toyota Camry you were wondering, the second in this segment is the Honda Accord with 157,988 units. But if you were concerned that no American manufacturers were on the podium you'll be glad to hear that Elon's Tesla Model 3 claims third place, selling 87,910 units during the same time period.
Now, we promise this is the last time we'll mention Toyota on this list.
2 Toyota RAV4
It's the classic must-have compact crossover, the Toyota RAV4. After years of earning a reputation for reliability, off-road capabilities, and comfort, it's a model that's evolved over the years.
During the first three quarters of 2021, 313,447 units were sold - making it the most popular Toyota in America.
This being said, it's in the same segment as the Tesla Model Y, which saw year-on-year growth in sales of 2325% - so maybe, one day in the future, an American car brand will take the top spot.
Now, let's look at something a little fancy...
1 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
When it comes to luxury sedans you can't go wrong with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. While it isn't the biggest seller, it tops the charts in regards to the upper-class sedan segment. During the first three-quarters of 2021 Americans bought 9,181 units.
It's worth mentioning that this is the largest, most expensive, and most luxurious version of the S-Class that Mercedes-Benz has ever been released. The base model retails for around $109,800, which isn't cheap, but then again it is America's most popular luxury sedan beating the domestically made offering, the Cadillac CT6 (which sold 172 units during the same time period) by a lot.
And those are the foreign cars that are outselling American models in their own country.