The British automotive magazine Autocar has compiled a ranking of long-lived cars that have been on the assembly line for the longest time. The second condition for getting into the ranking is minimal changes in the design. The ranking is headed by the one and only leader - the Volkswagen Beetle. The car lasted 65 years on the assembly line and it is one of the best-selling in history.
In second place is another German bestseller - the Volkswagen Type 2, which lasted 64 years on the assembly line. Used in Europe more as a workhorse, in the US it became a cult car for camping and literally one of the symbols of the hippie era. Despite the fact that more spacious and faster vans have long replaced it, the Type 2 sold well in Brazil even in the early 10s.
In third place is a car with a British accent. Morgan 4/4, contrary to all new trends and fashionable trends, was produced for 64 years, until 2018, in such a way as if it had just left the garage of Sir Winston Churchill. Unfortunately, due to emission standards, which are increasingly stifling the industry, further production proved impossible.
Following the Briton is a car from the British Empire - the Hindustan Ambassador. However, by birth it is also of British blood, because it is a Morris Oxford Series III, for the production of which the Indians bought the rights and stamped the car for 49 years without any significant changes, only in 2004 presenting the Avigo version.
The honorable fifth place is occupied by its own, native one. Please love and favor - Vaz 2121/Lada Niva/Lada 4x4, whichever you like best, and its impressive 48 years on the assembly line. It does not need additional descriptions and stories, except that you can recall the fact that at the time of its release it was the world's first SUV with a monocoque body, which caused a lot of noise in the automotive world and allowed it to have good export sales. It is still produced today and it could be said that it is going on a campaign for the result of the "Beetle", if not for...
"Bukhanka". It is not entirely clear for what reason another domestic car did not make it into the ranking, because in what-what, and in the Bukhanka from the day it appeared to this day, there have been a minimum of changes, and it has been on the assembly line for 55 years. And it is she who is walking firmly and confidently behind the Beetle record. And, it seems, it will reach, bypass and go far. After all, perfection does not need improvements.
The second car of domestic production in the ranking was the VAZ 2105 with its 32 years on the assembly line. The restyled and more square "Kopeyka" was surprisingly well sold not only at home, but also abroad. In general, the Lada 124 sold more than 14 million copies. If you add to it the official sales figures of its progenitor - Fiat 124, it turns out that the car only slightly lost to the Beetle and has 20 million sales. And if you add all the unofficial versions that were semi-handicraft made in 3rd world countries, then the number is even scary to imagine.
The ranking also includes many wonderful cars, such as the Renault 4, Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, each with its own history and nuances of such a long production.
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