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Today here at Shortfall we are taking an in depth look into some of the longest produced vehicles to ever be released onto the road and are still being developed right now. There were a vast range of vehicles to choose from in this countdown today but we have based our list today on the vehicles that have seen the most popularity over the years and have celebrated big milestones as far as development is concerned. We have a total of four manufacturers on display here today and each one of them are the most recognised manufacturers in the global car industry. We have a vast range of variants on show today which range between city cars,Sedan models and some of the finest vehicles available that are fun for the whole family. Our countdown today is based on the amount of years that the car listed has been manufactured for and how popular they have become over this time.

 

Five of the longest reigning production cars

 

  1. The Renault Clio

The car coming in at number five today is a model from French manufacturer Renault and it comes to you in the form of one of the finest city cars to be ever made available around the world. The Renault Clio is car that has been developed since 1990 and is still going strong today twenty four years later. Since 1990 a total of four generations of the car have gone on sale and in the past it has proven to be a top source of competition for other city cars on the market such as the Corsa from Vauxhall amongst many more. This Renault addition has won the European car of the year award on two separate occasions which were in 1991 just one year after production of the car began and the second time in 2006 when it would Whatcar's supermini of the year award too.

The latest version of the car which is on our roads right now was first put on sale back in 2012 and has a good vast range of engine choice on offer. A total of three turbocharged engines are available with the car which include a 1.2 litre,0.9 litre Tce petrol unit and a 1.5 litre Dci unit made available also. A 1.2 litre Tce engine flows through the GT line version of the Clio and turbochargers are a plenty as we see the final option coming in the manner of a 1.6 litre variant. 197 brake horse power is developed from this version of the car which sees the 0 to 62 miles per hour sprint achieved in good fashion with a time of 6.7 seconds. There are also some great features to come along with the fourth generation Clio as far as equipment is concerned. The higher end versions of the car include the additions of LED daytime running lights. The highest trim level made available for the Clio though is the Dynamique S model. This adds a lot more additional kit than previous models and some of the key selling points for the range topping Clio include 17 inch alloy wheels,rear parking sensors,climate control and electric windows all around the car. Prices for the Clio begin at £10,795 for the entry level model whereas for the range topping version of the car that we have demonstrated today sees an increase to £17,595.

 

  1. The Volkswagen Jetta

Beating the Renault Clio to the fourth place position today is the Jetta model from German brand Volkswagen. This is only the first we will see of Volkswagen in today's countdown but more about that later on. The very first Jetta model was developed in 1979 and is still being made today. Since this time, Volkswagen have launched a number of six generations of the car onto our streets and it has established itself as one of the finest family vehicles on the market right now.

One of the latest versions of the car to be launched onto our streets came back in 2011 and benefits from a range of TSI and TDI engine units. The engine line up spread out amongst the range consist of a 1.6 litre TDI Bluemotion unit,a 1.4 litre TSI petrol,a 1.6 litre TDI diesel unit and a range of 2.0 litre TDI diesel units. Power ranges between 120 and 158 brake horse power across the range. There are a lot of standard pieces of equipment to also come along with the Volkswagen Jetta which include the fittings of a leather multi functioning steering wheel,electric windows for both the front and back of the car and an all new centre console is also included. Safety also has a key role to play with the Jetta also as it was awarded a five star NCAP rating. Curtain airbags are thrown in as part of the standard package but rear side air bags come as an optional extra for a price of £275 on top of the original purchase price. Speaking of prices, we see that the latest version of the Jetta is on sale for a price starting at £18,815 for the entry level model however, you can expect to pay a bigger sum of £24,715 for the range topping version of the car.

 

3.The Ford Fiesta

It certainly goes without saying that our vehicle reaching the number three position today is one of the finest cars on the road right now,not just here in Europe but all around the globe. This vehicle has however achieved much success here in Britain as a number of months ago, the car was confirmed to be the biggest selling car ever in the United Kingdom. The vehicle we are of course referring to here is the Ford Fiesta. The very first Fiesta model was produced in 1976 and has gone on to release seven different generations of the car. The latest seventh life cycle for the Fiesta began in 2008 with an update coming to the car just last year. Both petrol and diesel engines are put on offer with the Fiesta and trim levels spread across the board with models such as the entry level Studio and edge vehicles and the range topping Titanium and Titanium X. The latest version of the Fiesta to go on sale also receives the companies latest Ecoboost engine. Power ranges from 60 brake horse power for a standard petrol 1.25 litre unit right up to 138bhp for the companies new Ecoboost 1.0 litre engine.

The best selling trim level for the Fiesta however is the Zetec model. The Zetec variant comes in at mid range but does feature some great pieces of kit. Components such as front fog lights, 15 inch alloy wheels and a chrome trim are all eye catching features. As far as standard equipment across the entire line up is concerned, we see that electric windows,air conditioning and USB connectivity all come as part of the package. With such great power variants and technology, the Fiesta is exactly what the car industry is all about. The latest Fiesta on the road sells for £9,995 for the entry level model whereas prices for the top of the range vehicle comes in at £17,995.

 

  1. The Volkswagen Golf

Coming in at our second place position today comes a vehicle courtesy of the brilliant designers over at the Volkswagen brand. This vehicle has established itself as one of if not the best city car on offer right now. The Volkswagen Golf was first produced in 1974 and has welcomed in seven generations of the car since this time with the latest version being released just last year. The seventh generation Golf uses the same platform as the Audi A3,the Seat Leon and the flagship Octavia model from Czech car firm Skoda. An MQB chassis was also included in the latest version of the car which makes it more lightweight than previous additions to the line up. Both TDI diesel and TSI turbocharged petrol engines are available to choose from across the line up and a number of trim levels are also made available with the Golf. The entry level S model, the SE,the GT and the GTI are all of your options which each one featuring more additional equipment than the last and the GTI benefiting from a more power orientated machine. Some features like alloy wheels,cruise control,rear parking sensors, a built in sat nav system and a DAB digital radio all are on offer across the line up. A GTD and Golf R variant selection are also other power based versions of the car and these add quad exhaust systems,18 inch alloy wheels and a different bodykit compared to the other additions across the range. As far as prices are concerned for the Hatchback line up, we see a purchase price of £16,975 come in for the entry level S model whereas a price for a top of the range Golf comes with a cost of £30,845.

 

 

  1. The Toyota Corolla

Now the vehicle coming in at our number one position today comes to us from Toyota and was launched in a remarkable year. It was the year that England won the world cup. The year we are referring to is 1966 and during this time the launch of the very first Toyota Corolla occurred. The Corolla is one of the longest running production vehicles on the market right now and has since 1966 introduced ten generations of the car onto our roads. In 1974 the Corolla was named as the best selling car world wide. It was in July of last year that Toyota made history with the Corolla as a total of forty million units were sold during this time from the beginning of production. The Corolla is a sedan vehicle that benefits from a good range of power and interior space making the car great for the whole family. The majority of these vehicles are sold in Japan and the States.

 

The affects these models have had on the car industry

 

The vehicles listed above have all been some of the most successful selling models that their respective manufacturers have ever had on offer. We still see a lot of these cars on the road right now all around the world and they have definitely changed the way manufacturers produce their vehicles on a daily basis. As the car industry has grown these vehicle line ups have done too. The technology in this day and age is a lot different compared to when some of these cars were first launched and with each new version of these cars introduced around the globe, we see them adapt to modern day technology and features too. These cars have definitely changed a lot over the years and they are still proving themselves to be just as successful as they were at the beginning.