As we cruise into the American Semiquincentennial, it’s worth noting that the automobile has been with us for most of that ride. Well, almost exactly half of it. Hundreds of Oldsmobiles were assembled in 1901, ranking the future General Motors brand among the first mass produced cars. But while cars have been with us for a while, model names have not.
At least through the Great Depression, model names were a rarity, as cars were identified mostly by their make and body type. But, after the war, things started to change. Post WWII print advertising was colorful and upbeat, and with the magazine ads came fun model and trim names that helped consumers keep track of all the new product.
By the Sixties, when almost every maker began selling vehicles of varying sizes, model names became common, and, in fact, necessary.
But what American-market model names are the most popular of all time? We’re glad you asked. Here we’ve collected what is the consensus answer to that question, though, depending on the source, the total number produced may vary.
And, for the record, these figures are for the U.S. If you want to consider a staggering figure, the Toyota Corolla, introduced for the 1967 model year, has racked up 50 million sales globally. Toyota’s small but well-loved model has done well in the U.S. as well, chalking up almost 7 million sales here since its American rollout for the 1969 model year.
5 Most Popular Model Names of All Time
F-Series (Ford)
Introduced in U.S.: 1948
Total number sold (est.): 40 million
Though Ford pickup-truck sales go as far back as 1917, the first vehicle dubbed “F-Series” didn’t debut until 1948. The F1, as the first F-Series trucks were known, featured wider, taller, and longer cabs than the trucks they replaced. Since the F1 was rolled out, Ford has retailed more than 40 million full-size pickups, making F-Series the country’s undisputed model-name champion.
Silverado (Chevrolet)
Introduced in U.S.: 1999
Total number sold (est.): 18 million
Relatively speaking, Silverado is a new model name. For many years, Chevrolet’s popular C/K pickup trucks were divided into Cheyenne and more-upscale Silverado trim levels, but it wasn’t until a 1999 redesign of the pickups that the brand chose to employ the Silverado moniker as a model name.
Since ’99 Chevy hasn’t looked back, racking up a massive 18-million unit tally of it’s popular full-size pickups in just a little over 25 years.
Model T (Ford)
Introduced in U.S.: 1908
Total number sold (est.): 15 million
Introduced late in 1908, the Model T changed absolutely everything related to transportation in America. Ford’s pioneering mass-production effort, the Model T was easy to buy, easy to own, reliable, and surprisingly affordable.
It’s interesting to consider just how many Model T buyers were first-time car owners, and moving from up from a horse or carriage rather than another automobile.
Retailed through 1927, the “T” racked up an astonishing 15 million sales, and an amazing feat giving that it was—for all practical purposes—the first car.
Accord (Honda)
Introduced in U.S.: 1976
Total number sold (est.): 13 million
It isn’t just that the Accord was (and is) a fantastic car, it’s that American car brands could never stick with a model name for very long. While Honda committed to the Accord name, applying it to its beloved small (later midsize) coupes, sedans, and hatchbacks, from the model’s inception, brands like Chevrolet never stopped fiddling with its model-name scheme.
Going back to the Seventies, Chevy has employed the Chevelle, Malibu, Celebrity, and Lumina model names for its midsize offerings, limiting just how many of copies of each it might produce.
Meanwhile, the Accord, since its 1976 U.S. debut, has racked up more than 13 million sales, many of which were sold to satisfied repeat customers.
Camry (Toyota)
Introduced in U.S.: 1976
Total number sold (est.): 12 million
In case anyone thought the Accord was a fluke, the Camry codified the notion that the Japanese had perfected the affordable midsize car. New for the 1983 model year, Toyota’s efficient and practical sedan (and occasional coupe and wagon) was an immediate sales success, and quickly earned a reputation for excellent build quality and overall reliability.
Since its American-market introduction, the Camry has always ranked among the best selling car models in the U.S. Despite the demise of midsize sedans as offered by the likes of Chevrolet and Ford, the Accord has slipped in popularity, while the Camry has not. For this reason, expect to See Toyota’s popular and long-lived sedan soon move up a notch on this list.
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Best Selling Models Pictures
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