Cars made for the world - but which ones actually succeeded?

Selling a car globally isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Auto-makers need to comply with the different safety and emissions regulations in each region, carefully study buyer preferences and consider ever-changing geopolitical factors that strongly influence production and sales. That’s a tall order. Those who manage to fill it save a substantial amount of money through economies of scale – at least in theory.

We’ve singled out some of the best and worst cars to reach global status.

Ford Model T (1908)

Ford pioneered the concept of building a car in its target market. Early on, that meant scattering dozens of assembly plants across the United States to save money on shipping costs. The one in Denver, for example, supplied buyers in Colorado and neighbouring states like Utah. Many of these factories still exist today. Denver’s is now an office building.

Ford also set its sights on international markets. Canada was the most obvious candidate for expansion due to its proximity to Detroit but factories in half a dozen European countries, Japan, Argentina and Brazil also built the Model T. Over 15 million were produced - truly the first car to put the world on wheels.

Autocar verdict: hit

Volkswagen Beetle (1938)

In hindsight, Volkswagen’s venerable Beetle had more lives than the average cat. Born as Germany’s people’s car in the late 1930s, it conquered the US market in the 1960s and helped the firm earn a sizable slice of the local market. Its popularity declined during the 1970s as rival brands – most of them from Japan – launched modern, efficient cars that often cost less. But instead of mothballing the Beetle, Volkswagen found ways to keep production going abroad.

In Mexico, it fulfilled its original mission of providing cheap transportation to as many motorists as possible. It remained popular both as a taxi and as a private car until the late 1990s, when sales again succumbed to more modern cars like the Nissan Tsuru. Mexican production continued until July 2003, a point by which the original design absolutely defied modern beliefs.

In Brazil, where Volkswagen called it Fusca, production ended in 1986. Brazilian president Itamar Franco offered Volkswagen do Brasil lucrative tax breaks to bring the car back as a cheap, entry-level model because inflation placed even entry-level cars like the Gol out of many motorists’ reach. Production started again in 1993 and stopped for good in 1996.

Volkswagen also made the Beetle in South Africa, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Yugoslavia and Nigeria, among other countries. Over 21 million Beetles were produced.

Autocar verdict: hit

Jeep CJ (1944)

Designed for the battlefield, the original Jeep proved its worthiness as a rugged off-roader eager to lend a hand on a farm or in the forest. Global demand for a Jeep-like vehicle soared after World War II and Willys embarked on a mission to make as much money as possible from it.

Mitsubishi and Mahindra purchased separate licenses to build the CJ-3B, an evolution of the CJ-2A, for the Japanese and Indian markets, respectively. In Japan, Mitsubishi’s CJ competed in the same segment as the Nissan Patrol and the Toyota Land Cruiser. The later (and much-improved) CJ-5 was built in countries like Australia and Brazil.

Jeep saw a golden opportunity to boost CJ-7 sales in Europe when Renault purchased a stake in its parent American Motors Corporation (AMC). Most European-spec models sold during the Renault years received a diesel-powered four-cylinder engine sourced from the Trafic van, though buyers could also select a petrol four. Renault distributed the CJ-7 through its dealer network between 1983 and 1986.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Volkswagen Bus (1949)

Volkswagen’s Brazilian division began building the Bus from complete knock-down (CKD) kits in the early 1950s and mass production using local parts started a few years later. Assembled alongside the Beetle, the Bus became one of Brazil’s best-selling commercial vehicles.

Its basic body never changed but the Bus regularly evolved with the times. It notably received a water-cooled four-cylinder engine, a modification which required adding a radiator to the front end. The 79bhp 1.4-litre became the only engine available late in the Bus’ production cycle. Several companies specialised in selling Brazilian-spec Buses in Europe and elsewhere.

Regulations that made airbags and ABS brakes mandatory for all new cars sold in Brazil dealt a fatal blow to the Bus at the end of 2013. Though undeniably cool and oozing with character, Volkswagen’s rear-engined do-it-all had exceeded its expiration date by several decades.

Autocar verdict: hit

Fiat 124 saloon (1966)

The 124 saloon served as the cornerstone of Fiat’s global expansion plans during the 1960s. It made its debut in 1966 and won the coveted Car of the Year award the following year. This gave Fiat more bargaining power as it looked for partners around the world.

The Russian government bought in early. In Togliatti, the 124 became the now emblematic VAZ-2101 (pictured). Lada made over 17 million examples of the car and its multitudinous off-shoots between 1966 and 2012 and sold it in an array of nations, including several European countries and Canada. SEAT received a badge-engineered 124 in 1968 and India’s Premier later used it as the basis for the Nissan-powered 118NE.

In Turkey, Tofas purchased the license to build the 124 from Fiat and started production in 1971. Its factory supplied the local market and exported cars to Egypt. Last but certainly not least, a South Korean company named Asia Motors specialising in making military vehicles branched out into the passenger car segment when it launched local production of the 124 in 1970. Kia later purchased Asia. Under its various guises, over 20 million were built in total.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Renault 12 (1969)

After its humble yet promising beginnings at the 1969 Paris motor show, the Renault 12 embarked on a trip across the Atlantic to conquer the North American market. The bet failed; the 12 didn’t win the hearts of buyers and very much remained a low-volume model.

Renault made the 12 in several Latin American countries, including Colombia and Chile, but its career was miserably unadventurous. It became improbably popular in eastern Europe. Dacia began producing the 12 as the 1300 in 1969 and turned it into a full family of models including an estate, a coupe and a pickup offered with either two or four doors. The 1300 received several updates during its life cycle. It ended its life in 2004 as the 1310, though the pickup model remained in production until 2006. Its replacement was none other than the first-generation Dacia Logan.

In Turkey, the 12 – known as the Toros – posted strong sales figures during the 1990s. Oyak-Renault stopped production in 2000. The 12 has had a long-term consequence; it began the partnership between Renault and Dacia, culminating in the former buying the latter in 1999. Since then, Dacia has become a key part of Renault-Nissan, making low-cost cars for fast growing emerging car markets across the world.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Renault 9/11 (1981)

Built on the same basic platform, Renault’s 9 and 11 could have enjoyed a decent career in western Europe, especially since it was a surprise winner of the European Car of the Year in 1982. Instead, Renault attempted to capitalise on US drivers' penchant for imported cars when it purchased a stake in American Motors Corporation (AMC) and laid out grandiose plans to build the 9 and the 11 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It renamed the cars Alliance and Encore, respectively, and granted them several US-specific traits including a redesigned front end - but also an appalling build quality. The short-lived American production nonetheless produced interesting variants like the Alliance convertible pictured here.

Renault also built the 9/11 in Argentina, among other countries, while SOFASA manufactured the 9 in Columbia. It lived the longest in Turkey, though. While European production ended in 1989 after two face-lifts, Turkish-spec 9s received a third face-lift inspired by the 19 in 1997 and soldiered on until 2000.

Autocar verdict: miss

Fiat Uno (1983)

Fiat launched Brazilian production of the second-series Uno in 1990. The factory primarily supplied the local market but it also built the Innocenti Mille for the Italian market. It was cheaper and more rugged than the standard Uno. It came with plastic cladding on the side, a beefier suspension and roof rails; modern product planners would happily call it an SUV.

Brazilian production continued well after the European-spec model retired. The most popular version was a bare-bones model named Mille, a reference to the 1000cc engine under the bonnet. Visual updates made in the early 2000s brought its design into the 21st century.

Fiat ended production of the Mille in 2013 because it didn’t comply with then-upcoming regulations that required airbags and ABS brakes. It sent off the model with a limited-edition series named Grazie Mille, a phrase which translates to ‘thanks a lot’ (literally ‘thanks a thousand times’) in Italian.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Suzuki Cultus/Swift (1983)

The original Suzuki Cultus played a significant role in putting millions of motorists on wheels. Introduced in 1983, this rolling display of value for the money actually started life as a General Motors project which the company sold to Suzuki late in the development cycle. Sales began in Japan in 1983, in America in 1984 and around the world the following year. Its names included Chevrolet Sprint, Maruti 1000, Holden Barina, Suzuki Forsa, Pontiac Firefly and, the one that stuck through the years, Suzuki Swift.

Early on, the global variants shared at least one attribute: they were spiritless machines made for motorists who chose a car like they selected a microwave. Chevrolet nonetheless tried to spice up the Sprint by making a 70bhp Turbo-badged model.

The second-generation model slotted neatly into this global model. Launched in 1988, it became one of the first cars made in Hungary after the fall of communism and remains a common sight there to this day. GM’s short-lived Geo division made the Metro, its own version of the Cultus/Swift, into a convertible for the US. In Europe, Subaru turned the car into the four-wheel drive Justy. Indian production continued, and Suzuki’s globe-trotter also rolled out of factories in a dozen countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Ecuador, China and, of course, Japan.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Jeep Cherokee (XJ, 1984)

After several costly and not very successful attempts to expand outside of the US, Jeep parent company American Motors Corporation (AMC) formed the very first car manufacturing joint-venture in China to produce the Cherokee. The project began in 1983, over a decade before the Chinese market became the global automotive industry’s El Dorado.

Early on, AMC and partner Beijing Automotive Corporation built the standard-issue Cherokee sold elsewhere with only small market-specific differences inside and out. The Beijing-Jeep joint-venture later designed its own variants of the car, including one with a Land Rover Discovery-esque high roof and a face-lifted model whose front end borrowed styling cues from the bigger Grand Cherokee. Production continued until 2014.

Autocar verdict: hit

Opel Kadett E (1984)

Opel became one of General Motors’ global powerhouses during the 1980s. The Kadett E was the perfect poster child for the concept of a world car. First, it came in a dizzying array of body styles including two- and four-door hatchbacks, a four-door saloon, an estate with two or four doors and even a cabriolet. It was right-sized for nearly every market ranging from the US to South Korea.

In Brazil, Chevrolet sold it as the Kadett and the Ipanema. Local production began in 1989. In America, General Motors gave the Kadett to Pontiac and named it Le Mans. Those with fond memories of the original Pontiac Le Mans considered the decision grossly idiotic. Passport, a short-lived Canadian dealer network owned by GM, called the Kadett the Optima. Daewoo sold it in South Korea, first as the Le Mans and later as the Nexia. It received one final face-lift in 2008 for the Uzbekistan market.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Isuzu MU (1989)

Commonly called Rodeo, the Isuzu MU provided an easy, one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of meeting the ever-increasing demand for SUVs during the 1990s. The company’s tie-up with General Motors produced the Frontera, which became an Opel throughout much of Europe, a Vauxhall in the UK, a Holden in Australia and a Chevrolet in Egypt. Honda also sold its own version of the MU which it called Passport. Isuzu built Honda’s MU in the Indiana factory it owned jointly with Subaru.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Opel Corsa B (1993)

Opel designed the Corsa B as a global car from the get-go. The line-up included two- and four-door hatchbacks, a four-door saloon and, for the first time, an estate. In Europe, the second-generation Corsa took the torch from the original model. In many global markets, it helped General Motors’ Buick and Chevrolet brands get a steady foothold in new markets.

Badged Sail, it became the first Chinese-built Buick in December 2000. Chevrolet took over local production in 2005 after giving the Corsa saloon a minor face-lift that brought it in line with its then-current design language. The Sail remained part of Chevrolet’s Chinese line-up until 2009, nine years after European production ended.

The various evolutions of the Corsa also zig-zagged across Latin America, often with a brand- or market-specific design. It became the unimaginatively-named Chevrolet Chevy in Mexico and, after comprehensive design updates, the Chevrolet Celta in Brazil.

Autocar verdict: hit

Daewoo Matiz (1998)

The first-generation Daewoo Matiz arrived in 1998. Its design drew inspiration from the 1993 Lucciola concept car Fiat rejected and it shared its basic platform with the Tico, itself based on the 1988 Suzuki Alto kei car. Highly dubious origins didn’t stop the Matiz from conquering the world.

It became the Chevrolet Joy in Pakistan, the Chevrolet Lechi in China, the Formosa Matiz in Taiwan, the Daewoo Matix in Colombia, the Pontiac Matiz (and later G2) in Mexico, the FSO Matiz in Poland and the Ravon Matiz in Russia. Finally, Europeans knew and feared it as a Daewoo.

The Matiz story doesn’t end there. In 2003, Chinese auto-maker Chery launched an entry-level model named QQ that looked awfully familiar. Designers cribbed many of the Matiz’s styling cues and Xeroxed its basic silhouette. General Motors filed a lawsuit against Chery over the QQ’s design in 2004 and settled about a year later for an undisclosed amount of money.

Autocar verdict: miss

Ford Focus (1998)

The original Focus came to life when top Ford executives asked for a car capable of replacing the European-spec and American-spec variants of the Escort, itself an eminent global car. Born to cross borders, the first-generation Focus called no less than eight countries home including the US, Spain, Venezuela and Russia. Ford made some market-specific tweaks (like installing a flex fuel engine in Brazil) but the basic car remained unchanged. And, significantly, it never wore a name other than Focus.

Ford then made a dramatic volte-face. It tore up its global car plans and instead chose to replace the Focus with two models – one for America and one for the rest of the world. The strategy changed again when the third-generation Focus arrived and it’s retained global car status ever since. 

Autocar verdict: hit

Peugeot 206 (1998)

At first, Peugeot didn’t plan a successor the 205. The company optimistically assumed the 106 and the 306 would join forces and slowly replace it, which didn’t happen. The 205 refused to die so decision-makers caved in and commissioned a replacement. The 206 finally arrived in 1998 and immediately became one of the best-selling cars in its home market. This surprised no one; the 205 had done the same in the 1980s. The 206’s star continued to rise, however.

In China, it put on a Citroen front end and became the C2 (pictured; no relation to the C2 sold in Europe). Malaysians pried off the Peugeot emblems and named it the Naza 206 Nastari. In Iran, it gained a trunk and adopted the 206 SD name. Iran Khodro still produces the saloon and hatchback variants of the 206 alongside the 405, which is one of the nation’s best-selling cars.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Daewoo Kalos (2002)

Though it often wears Chevrolet’s bowtie emblem, the Giugiaro-designed Aveo started life in Daewoo’s South Korean research and development centre. The brand envisioned the Kalos as a replacement for the outstandingly uninspiring Lanos. Chevrolet quickly introduced its own version of the car in the US, to the immense pleasure of the country’s car hire companies. The portfolio included a hatchback and a saloon. It was known as the Pontiac Wave and the Suzuki Swift+ in Canada.

Chevrolet took the Aveo and ran into every market with an ounce of demand for cheap transportation including China, India, Mexico, Thailand and Vietnam. General Motors even built the car in Russia, where it remains popular with Uber drivers to this day.

Autocar verdict: miss

Holden Commodore VF (2013)

Though few predicted this in 2013, the VF Commodore was the last car designed and built by General Motors’ Australia-based Holden division. Officials on both sides of the Pacific attempted to salvage Holden’s manufacturing arm by selling Commodore off-shoots across the world.

The Commodore became the Chevrolet SS in America, where GM positioned it as a home-brewed alternative to the BMW M5. The Corvette’s 415bhp, 6.2-litre V8 bolstered that claim, as did the enthusiast-approved six-speed manual transmission. The SS even picked up a southern twang after Chevrolet entered it in NASCAR races.

British motorists briefly knew the VF Commodore as the Vauxhall VXR8 GTS, which came with a supercharged V8 engine tuned to make 577hp.

Autocar verdict: not bad

Honourable mentions

The encyclopaedia of badge-engineering is brimming with cars that, through some quirk of history or seemingly for the hell of it, ended up far away from home. The Citroen Visa became the Wuling LZW 7100 in China, where it also received a Daihatsu three-cylinder engine. Volkswagen sold a version of the Chrysler Town & Country named Routan while Lancia tried selling the same van in Italy as the Grand Voyager. Volkswagen – yes, again – built the original Golf in South Africa until 2009. The Honda Integra morphed into the Acura Integra in the US and the Rover 416i in Australia. The list goes on and on.

Going deep enough down this rabbit hole takes us past the Hongqi 7460. After making Audi-based models for years, the Chinese brand (whose name means ‘Red Flag’) launched a full line of limousines based on the Lincoln Town Car, complete with Ford’s 4.6-litre V8. Hongqi gave buyers – a vast majority of whom represented the government – the choice of three wheelbase lengths.

Global luxury

You’ve likely observed a pattern: many global cars are relatively basic, affordable models versatile enough to blend in with traffic on every continent. Luxury cars are global, too. Mercedes-Benz sells the same basic E-Class around the world, for example. The body and design stay the same regardless of whether it’s purchased in Paris, Santiago or Vancouver. What often changes is the level of equipment.

Europeans have access to variants not offered in America, like the entry-level E200d and the SUV-like All-Terrain (pictured). This trend isn’t new and the tables have occasionally turned. Mercedes built turbodiesel-powered variants of the W116 and W126 S-Class exclusively for the North American market when high fuel prices became an issue there for a period.

The exception is China, where most luxury auto-makers build long-wheelbase models to lure wealthy, chauffeur-driven buyers into showrooms. Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW all compete in that segment.

Double-edged sword

Selling the same car in every market is a double-edged sword. France’s major car-makers took that route in the US and floundered, though Renault made a last-ditch attempt to Americanise its products with a little bit of help from AMC. Toyota suffered from an overly homogenous product line-up during the 1990s and paid the price in Europe, which remains one of its weakest regions.

Subaru’s European division remains stuck in a rut for the very same reason while its American arm has set annual sales records for 10 consecutive years.

The cars that retired globally

Some cars didn’t achieve global status until late in their life cycle. Take the Mercedes-Benz W123, for example. Mercedes sold roughly the same variants around the world but most of the production run went to Europe or North America. During the 1990s, the W123 emerged as the grand taxi of choice for Moroccan drivers. Boatloads sailed from Europe to live out the last few years of their lives in the sun.

The W123 remained popular as a taxi in Morocco until recently, when the government denounced it as a smoke-belching dinosaur and ordered drivers to buy locally-built Dacia models instead.