Is Ford's Focus really the world's best-selling car this year?

Jeffrey N. Ross — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Toyota

Last week, Ford boasted that the Ford Focus was the best-selling car in the world through the first half of 2012, but Toyota fired right back claiming its compact sits in the top spot. Which automaker is correct? Well, both. Kind of.

Ford says that the Ford Focus has sold 489,616 units through June compared to 462,817 for the Toyota Corolla, and it even hired an independent firm, IHS Automotive, to calculate the sales figures. And this is where things get confusing. See, Ford sells the Focus globally under one name, but the Toyota Corolla is also sold with different body styles that carry different names... and IHS Automotive's sales figure for Toyota does not include these models. As a counterpoint to the Focus hatchback, the Corolla is also available in a five-door form carrying the Toyota Matrix and Toyota Auris names, while the Corolla Fielder is Toyota's station wagon alternative to the Ford Focus Estate. The Scion xB is sold in Australia as the Corolla Rumion.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Toyota says that its Corolla-based models accounted for 603,840 through the same six-month period Ford claims its Focus was the top seller. Breaking the numbers down even further, Toyota says that the Auris and Corolla alone have managed 524,000 sales globally which is still more than Ford's Focus sales. In the U.S., the Focus has sold 147,877 units through July while the Corolla has sold 175,366 (including the Matrix).

Like a political debate, the numbers can probably be skewed in anyone's favor, and it should be just as fun to watch as the old General Motors and Toyota "we're the biggest in the world" arguments where each automaker found some obscure brand in its portfolio to add in a few thousand extra units. Regardless of which car actually hold the current top spot, though, what is for certain is that these are the two hottest cars in the world.

Is Ford's Focus really the world's best-selling car this year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motor Trend crowns new compact sedan king in eight-way comparo [w/poll]

Aaron Richardson — Mon, 30 May 2011 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda, Toyota, Volkswagen

2012 Hyundai Elantra - Click above for high-res image gallery

With a raft of newly redesigned compact sedans hitting the streets this year, Motor Trend decided it was high time to crown a new king among the diminutive four-door masses. The editors gathered eight of the most popular models in the segment and pitted them against each other, battle royale style.

The magazine started by selecting the three best-selling Japanese compact sedans, the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic and Mazda3, which, combined, accounted for 700,000 sales last year amid fears fostered by a weakened economy. Those were joined by America's two best sellers, the Ford Focus and Chevrolet Cruze. Korea added the Kia Forte and the Hyundai Elantra, and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI from Germany rounded out the list.

MT tried to get the cars as closely matched as possible; all the cars were front-drive, four-cylinder automatics with alloy wheels and stability control, all stickering somewhere in the low-$20,000 range. Still, despite its efforts, there wound up being a fair amount of variance among each of the cars, which helped shape the results of the test.

In the end, the 2011 Hyundai Elantra came out on top, thanks to radical new styling, a raft of standard features and a new found sense of sophistication. The 2012 Honda Civic EX brought up the next spot in the line, followed by the 2011 Mazda3 Touring. The 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI snagged fourth, followed by the 2012 Ford Focus Titanium and the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ RS. The 2011 Kia Forte EX edged out the 2011 Toyota Corolla to take seventh place.

Which one would take your top honors? Let us know in the poll, and head over to Motor Trend to read the full results.

View Poll

Motor Trend crowns new compact sedan king in eight-way comparo [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 May 2011 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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