Industry Sales Results
With three vehicles in the top 10, Toyota maintains its stranglehold on global new-car sales.
08:0012 March 2023
The Toyota Corolla was the world’s best-selling car in 2022, with sales of 1.12 million cars, according to new data.
The sales data compiled by respected provider of market and consumer data, Statista – and was sourced from new-car sales figures in 162 countries.
Toyota continues to dominate the global new car market with four of the top-10 selling models globally.
The Japanese car giant clinched first and second place last year, with the Corolla followed by the RAV4 – accounting for 868,309 reported sales, making it the world’s best-selling SUV.
Ford’s line-up of F-Series pick-ups claimed third spot with 786,337 examples reported as sold, while the Tesla Model Y claimed the title of world’s best-selling electric car – and the fourth-best seller overall – with total reported sales of 759,579.
Toyota’s third entry in the top 10 was its mid-sized Toyota Camry sedan with global sales of 667,968, followed by another big American pick-up, the Chevrolet Silverado (591,594).
The Honda CR-V continues to be a strong seller for the Japanese brand around the world with 591,293 sales reported, while Australia’s best-selling vehicle in 2022, the Toyota HiLux ute, claimed eighth place globally with reported sales of 549,918.
The Hyundai Tucson claimed ninth spot with global sales of 549,918, while Ram made it a trio of US pick-up trucks in the top 10 with 545,420 sales quoted in 2022.
The overall new-car market contracted marginally in 2022, with a total of 66.2 million global sales last year against the 66.7 million new cars sold in 2021 – down about 0.8 per cent.
Of the top 10, the Tesla Model Y (up 88.7 per cent), Chevrolet Silverado (up 1.8 per cent), Toyota HiLux (up 3.9 per cent), and Hyundai Tucson (up 0.4 per cent) posted growth over the previous year.
The Honda CR-V posted the biggest decline year-on-year, down 18.8 per cent.
Ram sales were also in decline against 2021’s figures, down 15.4 per cent followed by the Toyota RAV4 (down 13.7 per cent), Ford F-Series (down 8.8 per cent), Toyota Corolla (down 2.8 per cent) and Toyota Camry (down 2.6 per cent).
Just three of the global best-sellers feature in Australia’s list of best-selling cars in 2022 – and they are all Toyotas.
According to data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) industry body, the Toyota HiLux posted 64,391 sales locally last year to take the title of Australia’s most popular new vehicle.
The Toyota RAV4 added 34,845 reported sales to Toyota’s bottom line last year, while the Corolla reported 25,284 sales.
Toyota’s dominance of the new car market is reflected in its global sales last year, the Toyota Motor Corporation – which includes the Lexus luxury brand, Daihatsu small-car marque and Hino truck division – in top spot with 10.48 million sales.
Volkswagen Group sold 8.3 million vehicles in 2022 across its broad portfolio that includes Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, Seat, Cupra and Skoda while in third place, the Hyundai Motor Company racked up 6.848 million sales across its Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands.
| Model | 2022 worldwide sales |
| Toyota Corolla | 1.12 million (down 2.8 per cent) |
| Toyota RAV4 | 868,398 (down 13.7 per cent) |
| Ford F-Series | 786,337 (down 8.8 per cent) |
| Tesla Model Y | 759,579 (up 88.7 per cent) |
| Toyota Camry | 667,968 (down 2.6 per cent) |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 591,594 (up 1.8 per cent) |
| Honda CR-V | 591,293 (down 18.8 per cent) |
| Toyota HiLux | 566,838 (up 3.9 per cent) |
| Hyundai Tucson | 549,918 (up 0.4 per cent) |
| Ram pick-up | 545,420 (down 15.4 per cent) |
4 Images
Features Editor
Rob Margeit is an award-winning Australian motoring journalist and editor who has been writing about cars and motorsport for over 25 years. A former editor of Australian Auto Action, Rob’s work has also appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Wheels, Motor Magazine, Street Machine and Top Gear Australia. Rob’s current rides include a 1996 Mercedes-Benz E-Class and a 2000 Honda HR-V Sport.
