Best Selling Cars Around The Globe: Panama Is Getting Hooked On Hyundais

Matt Gasnier
by Matt Gasnier

Over the last few weeks we have visited Bangladesh, Venezuela, the USA in 1986 and Cambodia. May I interest you in a little trip back to the Americas this week to Panama?

No? OK fine, if you don’t want to go there, I’ve prepared 155 other countries for you to visit in my blog, and I can tell you it is muy bien, so click away!

The interesting thing about car sales in Panama is the way Hyundai is progressively establishing itself as the ‘go-to’ brand there, with 3 models in the Top 4 so far this year…

But first to the pole position: as it was the case in 2010, the Toyota Hilux is the best-selling model in Panama over the first 8 months of 2011 with 1,981 sales.

You may be surprised to learn that Panama is only one of 28 countries in the world where the Hilux is atop the ranking… Yes 28! No other car does better, and you can see the full list here.

Weekly bit of trivia: tick!

Below the Toyota Hilux is a full Hyundai armada:

The new generation Hyundai Accent is #2 with 1,733 sales, it was even #1 between May and July!

Down from #2 in 2010, the Hyundai Tucson IX (aka Hyundai ix35) ranks #3 in the 2011 year-to-date ranking at 1,632 units…

… and the new generation Hyundai Elantra is #4 with 1,098 sales but is up to #2 in August at 256 units.

As I said earlier, that’s 3 Hyundais in the Top 4 and by far Hyundai’s best year ever in the country. In fact, last October Hyundai sold the biggest amount of cars in a single month by any brand in Panama, with 1,409 models sold.

Further down in the ranking you will find the Toyota RAV4, Nissan Frontier…

…Kia Rio, Nissan Tiida and Nissan Navara.

The best-selling models in Panama over 8 months 2011:

PosModel8m 2011AugustPos201020101Toyota Hilux1,98130712,32212Hyundai Accent GL1,7339271,78633Hyundai Tucson IX1,63220432,04624Hyundai Elantra1,0982562 – –5Toyota RAV4974110694396Nissan Frontier895126497687Kia Rio809868 – –8Nissan Tiida7261105 –9Nissan Navara70953119171010Kia Sportage7008091,111510Honda CR-V70056101,0297

Figures are sourced from the Registro Único Vehicular.

Matt Gasnier, based in Sydney, Australia, runs a blog named Best Selling Cars, dedicated to counting cars all over the world.

Matt Gasnier
Matt Gasnier

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  • Volt 230 Volt 230 on Oct 03, 2011

    BTW Not one single American car on that list, we just keep losing ground all over the world, except China, of course.

  • John R John R on Nov 08, 2011

    A little late on this, but lovin' to see the hometown prove me right in my purchase. :)

  • Mike Beranek All that chrome on the dashboard must reflect the sun something fierce. There is so much, and with so many curves, that you would always have glare from somewhere. Quite a contrast to those all-black darkroom interiors from Yurp.
  • Mike Beranek 2004 Buick LeSabrepurchased in 2017, 104k, $3,100currently 287knever been jumped never been on a tow truckstruts & shocks, wheel bearings, EGR valves. A couple of O2 sensors, an oil pressure sending unit, and of course the dreaded "coolant elbows". All done in my garage with parts so plentiful there are a dozen choices of everything on Rock Auto.I've taken it to the west coast twice and the east coast once. All-in I'm under 5 grand for over 180,000 reliable miles. Best used-car purchase ever.
  • Jalop1991 Our MaintenanceCosts has been a smug know-it-all.
  • MaintenanceCosts If I were shopping in this segment it would be for one of two reasons, each of which would drive a specific answer.Door 1: I all of a sudden have both a megacommute and a big salary cut and need to absolutely minimize TCO. Answer: base Corolla Hybrid. (Although in this scenario the cheapest thing would probably be to keep our already-paid-for Bolt and somehow live with one car.)Door 2: I need to use my toy car to commute, because we move somewhere where I can't do it on the bike, and don't want to rely on an old BMW every morning or pay the ensuing maintenance costs™. Answer: Civic Si. (Although if this scenario really happened to me it would probably be an up-trimmed Civic Si, aka a base manual Acura Integra.)
  • El scotto Mobile homes are built using a great deal of industrial grade glues. As a former trailer-lord I know they can out gas for years. Mobile homes and leased Kias/Sentras may be responsible for some of the responses in here.
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