Its timeless appeal is relatively rare in an ever-changing market. Cars like the Focus and the Volkswagen Golf also retained their popularity, but some of 2009’s best-sellers limped through 2019 while nameplates we formerly considered niche gradually merged into the mainstream during the 2010s.

What does this evolution mean in the grand scheme of things? We’re comparing 2009’s best-sellers with 2019’s and analysing the data to predict who will rule the sales chart in 2029.