What was the first car model to sell over 10 million units?

The first car model to sell more than 10 million units was the Ford Model T. Ford reached the 10-million milestone on June 4, 1924, during the model’s extraordinary production run from 1908 to 1927.

The Model T became successful because Ford combined a relatively simple, durable design with increasingly efficient mass production. At the Highland Park plant, moving assembly-line methods sharply reduced production time and helped lower the car’s price. The result was transportation that many middle-class Americans could afford, rather than a luxury product built in small numbers.

More than 15 million Model Ts were ultimately produced, and some historical tallies put total production at about 16.5 million. The car was offered in multiple body styles, but Ford famously emphasized standardization for much of its life. Its nickname, “Tin Lizzie,” became widely associated with the model.

The Model T was later surpassed as the world’s best-selling automobile by the Volkswagen Beetle in 1972. That later record does not change the earlier milestone: the Model T was the first car to reach one million, five million, ten million, and fifteen million units.