1978 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
Oldsmobile decided to downsize the Cutlass for the 1978 model. Despite this change in size, the volume of sales remained just as high. Not to mention, the car was also designed as a four-door fastback style sedan. More than half a million units were sold.
1978 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
1979 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
GM’s mid-size car coming from the middle-tier division, the Oldsmobile Cutlass, is still the most popular as the year transitions to 1979. It’s clear to see that this Oldsmobile vehicle is a mainstay of the American middle class, as it sold more than half a million units again.
1979 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
1980 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
The Oldsmobile Cutlass maintains its immense popularity as Americans move into a new decade. This is the third year in a row that the car remains the best-selling car of the year, although its sales for the year have fallen.
1980 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
1981 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
It’s now 1981, and every second car you pass on the street is an Oldsmobile Cutlass. It’s fair to say that the streets are littered with these cars. Why is this? The Oldsmobile Cutlass has managed to remain the best-selling car in America for four years now.
1981 – Oldsmobile Cutlass
1982 – Ford Escort
The Ford Escort was built to replace Ford’s 1981 Pinto. The Ford Escort’s popularity surpassed the Oldsmobile Cutlass by the recession year of 1982, and it became the best-selling car in America for that year. It sold more than 330,000 units in the year.
1982 – Ford Escort
1983 – Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
It seems that the Cutlass wasn’t giving its best-selling title away without a fight. It may have lost it in 1982 but quickly got it back the following year. However, the sad news is that this is the last time the Cutlass or any Oldsmobile receives this title again.
1983 – Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
1984 – Chevrolet Cavalier
The Chevrolet Cavalier was the second small car in the decade to gain the nation’s best-seller title. The first was the Ford Escort in 1982. This small Chevrolet Cavalier went on to sell more than 380,000 units in the year.
1984 – Chevrolet Cavalier
1985 – Chevrolet Cavalier
The Chevrolet Cavalier didn’t find being the nation’s best-seller for one year satisfactory enough. It seems that getting the title two years in a row was the real achievement. One feature that helped this car sustain its title was its five different body style options: convertible, wagon, hatchback, sedan, and coupe.
1985 – Chevrolet Cavalier
1986 – Chevrolet Celebrity
At this point, it’s no surprise that a Chevrolet is the best-selling car in America. However, this year it isn’t the Cavalier model; it’s the Celebrity. This model is larger than its relative cousin, the Cavalier, and is designed as a front-drive mid-size vehicle.
1986 – Chevrolet Celebrity
1987 – Ford Escort
Five years after first being named America’s best-selling car, the Ford Escort achieved this title once again. If that isn’t extraordinary, then we don’t know what is! The Ford Escort even stole the title from its cousin, the Ford Taurus.
1987 – Ford Escort
1988 – Ford Escort
The Ford Escort won the best-selling title in 1988 for the second time in a row. This also meant that it won against the Ford Taurus once again. In the year 1988, the Escort sold 381,330 units, just a little less than its sales from the following year.
1988 – Ford Escort
1989 – Honda Accord
The Honda Accord became the best-selling car in the US in its final year of the vehicle’s third generation. Unlike the Honda’s predecessors, the third generation Honda comes with the benefit of three different body styles: coupe, hatchback, and sedan.
1989 – Honda Accord
1990 – Honda Accord
The arrival of the Honda Accord’s four-generation sees the model grow to a mid-size stature. Due to this size increase, the car saw a huge sales surge. It outsold the Ford Taurus by 100,000 units and sold more than 400,000 units.
1990 – Honda Accord
1991 – Honda Accord
As the year transitioned to 1991, the Honda Accord saw a slight dip in sales. However, this didn’t stop the car from ranking as the best-selling car in the US for that year. Yet again, this Ford model outsold its closest competitor by 100,000 units.
1991 – Honda Accord
1992 – Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus took the spot for the best-selling car in 1992 away from the Ford Accord. It was a celebrated win even though the decision came with many critics. Many people stated that fleet sales bolstered the sales of the Taurus.
1992 – Ford Taurus
1993 – Ford Taurus
It seems that people can’t get enough of this model because the Ford Taurus claimed the title for the second year in a row in 1993 after selling more than 350,000 units. Although the model outsold the Accord, both car models experienced a drop in sales.
1993 – Ford Taurus
1994 – Ford Taurus
It doesn’t come as a surprise that the Taurus took the crown as the best-selling car in the US yet again. The Honda still remained in second place after the Taurus sold nearly 400,000 units in 1994. It seems everyone in the US wanted this car in the 1990s.
1994 – Ford Taurus
1995 – Ford Taurus
It’s starting to seem pretty repetitive that the Taurus remains the best-selling car in the US. By this time, it would be impossible to leave the house without spotting one on the road. However, the sales were slowly dropping, as only 366,266 units were sold.
1995 – Ford Taurus
1996 – Ford Taurus
It’s impressive for a car to be named as the best-selling mobile in the entire US for a whole year. However, holding this title for five years is more than impressive. It almost seems impossible, but it’s not for the Ford Taurus.
1996 – Ford Taurus
1997 – Toyota Camry
Now for a refreshing and new face: the Toyota Camry. This Toyota model became the best-selling car in the whole of the US, stealing the title away from the Ford Taurus. It went on to sell nearly 400,000 in the year 1997.
1997 – Toyota Camry
1998 – Toyota Camry
This was the second year that the Toyota Camry gained the title of being the best-selling passenger car. It when on to sell more than 400,000 units in the year 1998, which kept the Honda Accord and Ford Taurus from taking the crown.
1998 – Toyota Camry
1999 – Toyota Camry
Although the Toyota Camry takes the title of being the best-selling car in the US, it’s also widely popular among many Nigerians, as well as the rest of the world. These Toyota Camry models are known to roam the Nigerian roads.
1999 – Toyota Camry
2000 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is widely popular in the US and gained a massive achievement of being the best-selling car of the year since 1997. The name ‘Camry’ actually means ‘crown’ in Japanese, which is only appropriate.
2000 – Toyota Camry
2001 – Honda Accord
Is it just us, or is this list starting to look more like a prizefight between the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord? In 2001, Honda made a mark in the auto world once again and gave the Accord the ability to bring in some major sales – 414,718 units to be exact.
2001 – Honda Accord
2002 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry undergoes a complete transformation for the 2002 model year. Americans seem to like this new design as 434,135 units were sold. This same year sparks the beginning of the Camry’s 16-consecutive-year of gaining the title as the best-selling car in America.
2002 – Toyota Camry
2003 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry fever seems to dwindle as the year progresses to 2003, as the car sells a little less than the previous year. However, this slight dip in sales doesn’t affect the Camry’s title of being the top-selling car in the whole of the US.
2003 – Toyota Camry
2004 – Toyota Camry
The Camry seems to gain back the sales lost in 2003. This increase in sales can be attributed to Toyota’s redesigns that were done on the Camry convertible and Solara coupe. In the year 2004, the Toyota Camry was able to sell more than 420,000 units.
2004 – Toyota Camry
2005 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry remains the best-selling car in the US. However, many people aren’t as satisfied with the car’s performance. In fact, a good number of individuals went on to state that the Camry’s performance was below the Honda Accord and Ford Fusion.
2005 – Toyota Camry
2006 – Toyota Camry
The sales of the Camry began to accelerate in 2006. This was apparently due to the release of the 2007-model-year example in early 2006. This new model was completely revamped and had a far more interesting styling, along with many other additions.
2006 – Toyota Camry
2007 – Toyota Camry
Nothing really changes as the year transitions to 2007. The Toyota Camry still remains the best-selling champion. An impressive achievement obtained by the Camry this year is that the sales volume was the highest ever recorded with total units of 473,108 being sold.
2007 – Toyota Camry
2008 – Toyota Camry
Despite the Toyota Camry failing to improve on its overall performance, it seems that Americans can’t get enough of the car. Nonetheless, the sales of this vehicle slip. Although, this could be the result of the American economy taking a massive dive.
2008 – Toyota Camry
2009 – Toyota Camry
The recession environment facing America in 2009 means that the Toyota Camry is only able to sell 356,824 units in the year. This fall in sales, however, doesn’t take the Camry’s top spot away. It still retains the top-selling title despite a significant loss in sales.
2009 – Toyota Camry
2010 – Toyota Camry
The Camry is again the best-selling car in America despite the huge unintended-acceleration snafu making headlines in 2009 and 2010. This unintended-acceleration furor happens to be in regards to the ill-fitting floor mats rather than actual mechanical problems that the car is designed with.
2010 – Toyota Camry
2011 – Toyota Camry
In 2011, the Toyota Camry received its lowest sales volume in an entire decade. This was the same year that the all-new model was released for 2012. Despite this low sales volume, the Camry was still able to take the title of being the top-selling car in America.
2011 – Toyota Camry
2012 – Toyota Camry
The total redesign of the Camry proves to be a robust sales booster. The Camry received a sales volume of 404,886 units in the 2012 year. The performance of the car may not be the best; however, it still remains the best-selling in America.
2012 – Toyota Camry
2013 – Toyota Camry
There are little changes made to the Camry’s performance. It seems that Toyota is implementing the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ philosophy, and it looks to be working because the sales volume of the Camry is enough to keep the title of being the top-selling car in the US.
2013 – Toyota Camry
2014 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is the top-selling car in the entire American industry. Is that even a surprise? The four-door sedan holds the title while racking in 428,606 units in the 2014 year. In addition to this, the Camry status is also seen as the runner-up for ‘world car’ behind the Corolla.
2014 – Toyota Camry
2015 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry underwent a huge transformation in 2015. Its designs are made more recent, which aid in making the car look more expensive. In addition to this, more emphasis is placed on the sportiness and dynamics included in the car.
2015 – Toyota Camry
2016 – Toyota Camry
The Camry remains to be on a high from its incredible renovation of 2015, as it remains in the top spot. However, the sales did decline for the year when compared to the previous year’s 429,355 units. In 2016, the car only gained a sales volume of 388,618 units.
2016 – Toyota Camry
2017 – Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry’s sales continue to decline in 2017 despite an all-new model for the 2018 model-year being released. Despite this decrease in sales volume, the Camry is still able to take the title as being the top-selling car in the US, with 387,081 units being sold.
2017 – Toyota Camry