The recent Detroit International Auto Show set the stage for which trends would rule the North American market, or possibly even a wider market.  But did you know that the list of Top 10 best-selling cars in the US, Europe and China are quite different from each other?  With automotive markets merging and being more globalized, it is very interesting to check which cars are famous in other parts of the world. 

It is always noteworthy to feature the Top 10 list of the US, being a significant market in the industry. Same goes for Europe, which collectively is still the biggest automotive market in the world.  But, as an individual country, it is China which has the biggest overall market share.  In 2010, more than 11 million cars were sold in China alone, which showed a 35.5 percent increase from the previous year.  Meanwhile, US sales reached over 9.6 million, while Europe had a total of over 11.6 million vehicles sold collectively from 27 countries.

 Here’s a quick look at the Top 10 lists in each country: (partial results compiled at the end of October 2010)

 U.S.A.

 1. Ford F-Series (434,920). America’s longtime bestseller stays on top, with sales strengthened by farm, construction and home repair workers.

2.  Chevrolet Silverado (301,998).    Even combined with heavy duty and GMC Sierra sales, GM would still be in second place, with a total of 405,216.

3. Toyota Camry (275,844) Loads of incentives keep it ahead of archrival Honda, despite severe hits to its reputation.

4. Honda Accord (236,278)  Midsize stays strong halfway through its lifecycle, and is more profitable than Camry.

5. Toyota Corolla (227,822) Many people automatically buy the Corolla, even as it quickly ages.

6. Honda Civic (215,393)Though no longer sold in its home country, Civic stays strong in the last year of its cycle.

7. Nissan Altima (187,875) Another familiar midsize sedan due for replacement.

8. Ford Fusion (178,943) The 2010 Car of the Year has been aggressive in its pursuit of dominant Asian competitors.

9. Chevrolet Malibu (175,599) GM has moved up development of the ’12 Malibu, now expected mid-year.

10. Hyundai Sonata (166,628) Redesign helps it crack the Top 10 and push Hyundai’s U.S. sales over 500,000 for the first time.

 EUROPE

 1. Volkswagen Golf (420,344 ) Hatches have long been Europe’s favorite.  .Jetta is not nearly as popular in Europe.

2. Ford Fiesta (351,177 ) Ford is struggling a bit in Europe, and Fiesta sales started to slide toward the end of ’10.

3. VW Polo (301,107) VW’s Ford Fiesta/Honda Jazz (Fit)/Opel Corsa fighter is like the Corolla to Golf’s Camry.

4. Renault Clio (286,100) Golf competitor shares its platform with Nissan’s compacts, including US Versa.

5. Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (266,878) Sales of GM’s B-segment hatchback started to fade in the fall.

6. Peugeot 207 (259,402) Competitor to the VW Golf and Renault Clio from the Peugeot-Citroën Group.

7. Opel/Vauxhall Astra (247,706) Another Golf fighter, and one of four cars on this list trending with better sales than in ’09.

8. Ford Focus (224,130) Sales started to trail off as Ford prepared to introduce the all-new One Ford model.

9. Renault Megane (221,671) Bigger than the Clio, with two- and four-door hatch, sedan, coupe, and cabrio variants.

10. Fiat Punto (221,213) Fiat’s C-segment hatchback

 CHINA

 1. BYD F3 (217,300)  Build Your Dreams’ tidy four-door borrows much of its styling from Toyota’s Corolla.

2. Shanghai Volkswagen Lavida (201,500) This China-only model is derived from a MkIV Jetta floorpan, with a stretched wheelbase.

3. Beijing Hyundai Elantra Yuedong (191,800)  A mildly restyled variant of the outgoing 2006-’10 Elantra four-door sedan.

4.  FAW VW Jetta (191,800) VW partner FAW still builds the second-gen Jetta – face-lifted three times.

5. Shanghai Buick Excelle (186,200)  The next gen of this Suzuki Forenza variant will be sold here as the ’12 Buick Verona.

6. Shanghai VW Santana (167,200)  Based on the early ’90s Passat, it has long been a taxi fleet staple. A decade ago it was China’s most popular car.

7. Tianjin FAW Xiali (155,500) Its not clear which model leads sales, but several are based on Toyotas and Daihatsus.

8. Shanghai Chevrolet Cruze (147,900) Chinese version of the US’ Chevy Cruze.

9. FAW VW Bora (142,600) The Chinese share US preference for sedans over hatchbacks.

10. Guangzhou Honda Accord (140,600) US number 4 is China’s number 10. Guangzhou builds the North American, not the European (Acura TSX), Accord.

 Looking at these lists, if a conclusion was to be made, it would seem that the US market seems to favor C and D segment sedans, while China and Europe prefer the C-segment sedans and hatches.

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U.S. data compiled by Forbes magazine; China data from China Association of Automobile Manufacturers; Europe data from Jato Dynamics