At times I prove myself quite wrong! Before the 1980s, Ford f-100 trucks already were the best selling vehicles in America. But the mix within the top ten during the decade of the 1970s are a story worth telling.
In 1969, the Ford F 100 sold over 364,000 units more than 2nd place Chevrolet Chevelle (335,000), and 3rd place Chevrolet Impala (303,000), Performance-oriented cars that aimed at younger drives followed -- Ford Mustang, Pontiac Lemans Buick Skylark, Chevrolet Camaro Dodge Charger, and Plymouth Roadrunner, with the only exception being the Volkswagen Beetle (65,000). The 1960s were coming to a close, but the cars that in many ways helped define automotive history of the decade remained strong fixtures, But it was not meant to be much longer. By 1971, only the Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Camaro remained in the top ten in sales. As Lee Iacocca would later state, the Mustang was becoming a "fat pig."
The Ford F-100 remained the best-selling vehicle throughout the remainder of the 1970s, but the list of the other popular cars was in flux from year to year, with Volkswagen falling out, Toyota Corolla moving in by 1972 and Honda in 1978. Dodge Ram and D-series pickups became significant in the marketplace by 1977. Then in 1980 after Oil Shock II front wheel drive economy cars rose to prominence, with the top passenger car being the new Chevrolet Citation, and the Ford Escort and Fairmont following behind.
Of course, the automobile consumer had many choices, and Plymouth Dusters, Chevrolet Novas, and Dodge Darts enabled working class families to also purchase new cars. There were classes of vehicles that clearly aligned with classes of Americans, with the solid middle classes making the Oldsmobile Cutlass the favorites car of buyers in 1978.
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