It must be said that the Italian car industry has certainly experienced periods of great prosperity, years in which Fiat above all, but behind it also Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Autobianchi and other brands, sold and exported with a certain continuity . But which Italian models have sold the most in the peninsula and abroad?
The best-selling Italian car model in the world is, according to estimates, the Fiat 124. Exactly: not the 500, not the 126 or 127, but a rather successful model, rather contained at home, which, however, has literally depopulated the abroad, remaining in production until 2012: it is estimated that the 124 (or derivative models) sold worldwide are in fact almost 20 million, a disproportionate figure.
In Italy, the 126 was produced in about 1 million and 350 thousand specimens throughout the 1970s, until 1979; but greater was the success abroad, where it was produced and marketed in slightly different settings and also provided the inspiration for completely new cars, such as the Seat 133 and its Argentinian counterpart Fiat Concord. But it was above all the FSM 126, produced in Poland, to meet a resounding success: up to 2000 more than 3 million specimens were produced, which made it the most popular car in the country in the years of the transition from communism to the economy of market.
Fiat Panda, a historical model of the Turin-based company that, between old and new versions, has sold more than 6 and a half million cars worldwide, a number that is still destined to grow as the updated Panda is still in production.
Immediately behind the unreachable Fiat 124, the best-selling Italian model of every era is the Fiat Uno, marketed in Italy from 1983 to 1995 but then distributed all over the world, for an estimated total of 9 million and 500 thousand copies sold. Designed once again by Giugiaro and initially conceived by Gian Mario Rossignolo for the Lancia, the Uno was to be the “increased” heir of the 127 and immediately met with great success, thanks also to a great promotional campaign.
Not too far from the Fiat Uno figures are also the data of the Fiat Punto, the most recent of the cars that have managed to enter this ranking. Even in this case, in fact, there is a good 8.7 million units sold before the start of the third series of the car, which took place in 2005: a success due to the beautiful initial line designed once again by Giorgetto Giugiaro and to the good reliability ( also in terms of safety), capable of bringing Fiat to sell a million and a half cars in the first year and a half of marketing.
The second series, completely revised in the line, was launched in 1999, still having great success, while the third incarnation is dated 2005, with the introduction of the Grande Punto, the model that marked the revival of Fiat after a period of difficulty also because it was produced together with General Motors, which used the platform for some of its models destined for the European market.
Presented By Romano Pisciotti