Best-selling car in the world's top 5 most populated countries

If you want to know more about the residents of any given country, look no further than the cars that they most commonly drive. Do they favor nifty hatchbacks that can be parked in dense urban areas? Or do they like a reliable sedan with a long life, like Australians (who bought 43,498 Toyota Corollas in 2013)? 

We at the CIQ blog thought it would be fun to find out the top five most populated countries in the world - and their most popular wheels. 

1. China

Photo courtesy of chinadaily.com.cn

Population: 1,367,460,000 (Oct. 2014)

Best-selling car in 2013: Ford Focus 

Number sold: 403,600

The people of mainland China have spoken - and they've decided "Classic American car manufacturer." The Focus just shaded out its main German rival, the Volkswagen Lavida, which sold a respectable 374,000 units in 2013. 

2. India

Photo courtesy of ibnlive.in.com

Population: 1,261,370,000 (Oct. 2014)

Best-selling car in 2013: Maruti Alto

Number sold: 258,281

You may never have heard of Maruti but they're an Indian car manufacturer who's been a subsidiary of Japanese car manufacturer Suzuki since 1982. Fun fact: Maruti's company headquarters are located at No. 1, Nelson Mandela Road, New Delhi. 

3. United States of America 

Photo by Tuner tom, CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 318,958,000 (Oct. 2014)

Best-selling car in 2013: Ford F-150

Number sold: 521,515

America may have a quarter of India or China's population - but its car-buying power is unparalleled. The F-150 isn't technically a car (it's a pick-up truck) but it was the far and away most popular vehicle sold in the U.S. in 2013, selling over 150,000 more units than its nearest rival, the Honda Accord. 

4. Indonesia

Photo by way of bestsellingcarsblog.com

Population: 252,164,800 (Jul. 2014)

Best-selling car in 2013: Toyota Avanza

Number sold: 213,458

The new car market is booming in Indonesia - over 1 million new cars were sold in Indonesia in 2012 and the market grew 10 percent in 2013. Indonesia's most popular car, the Avanza, is a mini-MPV sold primarily in Indonesia and the Philippines. 

5. Brazil

Population: 203,332,000 (Oct. 2014)

Best-selling car in 2013: Volkswagen Gol

Number sold: 255,057

The car market is also exploding in Brazil - between 2003 and 2013, the number of cars sold in Brazil tripled. The Gol, not to be confused with the Golf, is a sub-compact car that was sold in the United States as a Fox between 1987 to 1993.