Global auto sales from the first quarter of 2012 have been tallied, and it looks like Toyota now has two of the three best-selling carlines in the world. 

According to figures compiled by Bloomberg, the Toyota Corolla compact beats out all other car series with more than 300,000 units of various models sold globally in the first three months of 2012. Now, that’s not really a surprise since the Corolla has held this title for decades. What is a surprise is that Toyota’s  Prius hybrid lineup is now the third best selling nameplate world wide. Since 1997, Toyota has sold over 4 million Prius’s. Other factors such as rebates and tax breaks are helping to spur sales. And it doesn’t hurt that the Prius has gone plural—meaning the family now includes a total of 4 cars. There’s the 3rd generation Prius hatchback, the compact Prius C, the Prius V wagon, and the new plug-in Prius PHEV. In the first quarter, sales of Prius vehicles worldwide rose to more than 247,000 vehicles—solidifying the car line as a mainstream hit for consumers looking for excellent fuel economy at a reasonable price. Second place world wide goes to the Ford Focus compact series with 277,000 units sold.

There have always been big differences between the top-selling vehicles sold throughout the world and best sellers here in the good ‘ole U.S. of A.

When it comes to U.S. sales, pickup trucks take two of the top three sales spots with The Ford F-Series being number one through May. In third place, is the Chevy Silverado pickup. Mid-size sedans, the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Honda Civic round out the top 5 spots. Incidentally, global leader Toyota Corolla comes in 7th, and the Prius 13th.  While U.S. buyers continue to prefer larger vehicles, they still want good fuel economy. For example, Ford is now selling over 60% of its F-150’s with a V6 engine rather than a V8.     

So when it comes to new car popularity contests, it’s clear the U.S. remains something of a world apart.