At Opel, probably, they sometimes look back nostalgically to the 80s. The brand was the highest in the Netherlands and in 1987 it sold nearly 89,000 cars, a market share of no less than 16%. De Kadett alone accounted for more than 52,000. Other Opels were less in demand at the time, as evidenced by eleventh place in the standings for the successor model, the then new Omega. The Corsa only came in twelfth place. Number two in the Netherlands was Ford, with 56,000 cars, which is little more than what that vile Kadett did alone. This underlines the dominance of the German lean, which was then on the market for three years. According to current views, it’s long enough to at least give a car a major makeover, but the situation was clearly different thirty years ago. The models lasted much longer and the Kadett would also run until 1991, when it was replaced by the first Astra.
Nissan Sunny best-selling Japanese car
Notable in the list of brands is Nissan’s fifth place, after Volkswagen (third) and Peugeot (fourth). With 17,000 units, the Sunny was by far the best-selling Japanese car in the Netherlands; next on the list was the Toyota Corolla (seventh and ninth respectively). Nissan has come a long way, taking 10th place a year earlier. In any case, Japanese brands took a big step forward in the second half of the 1980s; with the exception of Honda, they all got a small or big advantage. Mazda is the third brand to enter the top ten that year. Hyundai, then the only Korean brand in the Netherlands, climbed from 27th place in 1986 to 21st in 1987. Lada was still fully involved at the time; Thanks to 2105 and to a lesser extent to Samara in 1987, it was the fourteenth brand in the Netherlands. Less well went to Fiat, which moved up from fifth to eighth place, and to Renault, even out of the top ten brands. Their most popular model was the Renault 5, which made it up to 23rd, and many brands that have since disappeared from the 1987 list, such as Daihatsu (19th), Austin (25th), Saab (26th). °) and Rover (28 °).
Dacia and Skoda
At the bottom of the list were not even the Ferrari, which sold 20 cars, but Talbot, which went up to 10. Probably cars that were still in stock somewhere, because the brand had already officially left the Netherlands in 1987. Right up there we meet Zastava and FSO. There are also brands that are smiling now because they are doing so much better than 30 years ago. This, of course, because they have been embraced by the greats of the automotive industry: they are not, in fact, comparable situations. But again: Dacia sold no more than 82 cars in 1987 (3,200 last year), while Skoda – which did well in 1987 with 3,500 units – hit 20,356 cars last year.
Top 10 Models:
1. Opel Kadett (52,772)
Presented in 1984. Sales cannon par excellence, with a very wide range: hatchbacks with three and five doors, sedan, station wagon, convertible, many petrol engines, a diesel and a GSi. And endless possibilities to combine engines, versions and bodies.
2. Volkswagen Golf (26,885)
Introduced in 1983. Very popular, but not as popular as the Kadett in terms of numbers. The Golf is always at the forefront of innovation: first with 4WD, as a GTI 16V and as a turbodiesel. The Variant was not yet in range at the time, while the Jetta sedan does not count towards the numbers.
3. Ford Escort (25,992)
Introduced in 1980, voted Car of the Year for 1981. Restored in 1986, with a new front and technical innovations. Available as a three- and five-door sedan, convertible and combi. The four-door Orion was still a separate model. Surprising in the range: the very fast RS Turbo.
4. Volvo 340/360 (19.727)
Introduced in 1976 and in the meantime constantly updated and adapted. Present in 1987 with a wide range, ranging from the 340 1.4 automatic to the 360 GLT with the two-liter injection engine. Popular additions at the time were the 1.7 petrol engine and 1.6 diesel.
Peugeot 205 accent
5. Peugeot 205 (17.601)
Introduced in 1983. After the disappearance of the 104 it was the smallest Peugeot. Available as a three- and five-door sedan, convertible and, of course, as the ferocious GTI (with the 1.6-liter engine with 105 hp). Also very popular as a diesel and as an Accent, an action model.
Ford Sierra from the restyling in 1987.
6. Ford Sierra (17,366)
Introduced in 1982 as a futuristic, because it is the very slender successor of the Taunus. The program was extensive, with three- and five-door hatchback versions, sedan, station wagon, 4×4 and, as a highlight, the super-fast RS Cosworth developed for motorsport.
7. Nissan Sunny (17,341)
Introduced in 1986. The good sales figures are explained not only by the recent introduction date, but also by the fact that the Sunny replaced the slightly smaller Cherry. It was available as a three- and five-door sedan, sedan, combi (Sunny Florida) and coupe.
8. Citroen BX (16,830)
Introduced in 1982 and revamped in 1986, when it got bigger bumpers and a less futuristic dashboard, including round instruments. Wide range with sedan, station wagon and a wide choice of petrol and (turbo) diesel engines.
This generation of Toyota Corolla, the E8, was replaced in 1987 by the E9. This is the Liftback.
9. Toyota Corolla (14,630)
Introduced in 1983; a new version arrived during 1987. There was always a very wide range of models, with sedan, sedan, liftback, station wagon and coupe, the latter with very sporty rear-wheel drive. Toyota was ahead with three- and four-valve per cylinder engines.
10. Mazda 323 (12,325)
Introduced in 1985. Available as three- and five-door sedan, sedan (with rear wiper!) And station wagon with petrol and diesel engines. Not a very special car; the rare Formula 4 rally edition with its turbo engine and 4WD stood out from the rest.
