Iconic cars that surpassed all expectations

In the mood of the Cars with surprising statistics thread, how about cars that surpassed all expectations? I mean cars that either sold way way more than the manufacturer intended, or cars that stayed in production for years or decades longer than expected, or cars that sold to totally different demographics that they were designed for. I'm thinking of things like:
Model T, arguably the most successful car of all time
Air cooled VW Beetle or Issigonis Mini staying in production for decades longer than expected and becoming a car that crossed social barriers in popularity
Mustang, a concept so right for its time, sold way better than expected and created a new segment
Honda Element, a car designed for college grads that was designed to alienate older buys but became a huge hit with middle aged families
2nd Gen Prius, a car that nailed the concept of hybrid and like the Mini and Beetle before it crossed social and economic boundaries and became THE car for celebs to be seen in.

What other iconic cars can you think of?

Suzuki Samurai/Maruti Gypsy, Toyota FJ-series utility trucks, and Land Rover Defender, all for pretty much the same reason - in less developed parts of the world we still need REAL trucks (even little miniature ones).

Even though they are scarce now, the compact pick-up truck. SUVs.

The Corolla and Camry. Proof that a car can be an appliance with it's only redeeming quality being reliability and we'll buy them by the millions.

Seriously, at the plant in Georgetown KY (Camrys) they roll 2,000 cars PER DAY off the line. Just think about the logistics involved of disbursing 2,000 cars every day.

easy-Miata. Cute cute cute to the point of people assuming men are somehow less "manly" if the own one, but damn they are great cars. They turn commuters into passionate car people, and they turn other marque loyalists into passionate fans, and they turn passionate fans into racers, because they are just plain great at driving.

PT Cruiser. Chrysler sold in the first year what they expected to do over the life of the model.

neon4891 wrote: PT Cruiser. Chrysler sold in the first year what they expected to do over the life of the model.

Now that is a surprise. I remember when they couldn't give them away. Towards the end I recall you could get the Turbo cruiser (same power train as the SRT4 Neon less the LSD) new for like $13k they were so hard to shift. You could still add the factory upgrade packages to it like the Neon.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I remember when they couldn't give them away.

Yeah, after the Germans ransacked everything they were pretty decontented. The early ones (before the turbos sadly) are actually the nicest.

The Chevy Astro was built quickly as a stop gap until they could get the dustbuster designed and built. It was here after the Transport had come and gone.

And the popular demand for the Volvo 700's kept them around for years after their replacement was out.

Foxbody mustangs. Even with anemic factory stats they brought a rebirth in aftermarket performance and stock suspension racing that no one expected!

The Volvo XC90 had a 12 year production run.

I'm going with the 73-87 GM pickup. That sold bunches, virtually unchanged throughout the model run.

Porsche 911. Was expected to phase out by the late 70s

Compact crossovers, like the Subaru Forester.

Corvette, and Dodge Caravan come to mind.

Scion xB 1st gen. Proof that, if you rebadge a Japanese-market 2 box subcompact for American Gen Y, you'll sell a ton - to septuagenarians.

edit: Needed gif-based ghost riding action.

The fact that Chevy sold the B-Body Caprice from 77 to 96 with the same chassis.

Rabbit GTI Invented the performance-hatch segment, made folks realize that sporty and practical need not be mutually exclusive.

The Mini's been mentioned, and rightfully so.

The original Range Rover. The birth of the SUV. There were trucks before, but not ones you'd want to take to town.

Joe Gearin wrote: Rabbit GTI Invented the performance-hatch segment, made folks realize that sporty and practical need not be mutually exclusive.

I'd say "reminded" folks, as the Mini Cooper S did a pretty good job of that 20 years earlier.

Civics up until 2000. A econobox that made the OEM money with enough of the right DNA that enthusiasts love them. So much driving experience for so little money, mix and match parts bin modding, solid engineering, easy to wrench on, and cheap.

Can't believe that this thread has gotten this far and no mention of the RX-7!

AE86 Corolla. When it was new it seemed like a weird afterthought, everything was going FWD by then, and it had nothing to do with the other Corollas being sold in the US at that time. Then videogames and drifting turned it into a legend.

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk.

The Cessna 177 Cardinal was introduced in 1968 as its replacement.

The original plan was to do a complete change over (stop making 172’s and start making 177’s) but Cessna got nervous and decided to run production for a year on both to confirm that the 177 was a success before retiring the 172.

One year of dual production led to two and then three… Ten years later in 1978, the 177 was discontinued and the 172 lives on to this day.

Obviously not a car but it's such a perfect example of the OP's question that I thought I'd through it in.

In the world of bicycles, Schwinn Varsity.

Keith Tanner wrote: The Mini's been mentioned, and rightfully so. The original Range Rover. The birth of the SUV. There were trucks before, but not ones you'd want to take to town.

Joe Gearin wrote: Rabbit GTI Invented the performance-hatch segment, made folks realize that sporty and practical need not be mutually exclusive.

I'd say "reminded" folks, as the Mini Cooper S did a pretty good job of that 20 years earlier.

yeah, yeah, yeah..... The Mini was ahead of it's time, but barely a footnote in the U.S. The GTI was a global phenomenon that spawned countless imitators. (although to be fair it was an imitation of the Mini) It's like calling the VW Microbus the first minivan---- yes you are correct...sort of, but it wasn't until the 84 Caravan that the segment really took off.

I'll also throw the Volt into the ring--- as the first mass-produced electric powered hybrid that truly worked and could take you where you wanted to go on electricity alone. (as long as it was within 30 or so miles) It's also the first "electric" car that wouldn't leave you stranded when the battery went dead.