Ask a Nigerian what type of vehicle they prefer and most will say "SUV" or "crossover." Increasingly that's true around the globe, too. With more fuel-efficient engines and lots of flexibility, utility vehicles are fast becoming the world's favorite family car.

SUV sales rose 12 percent globally in 2017, outpacing the overall industry, which rose 3 percent. Traditional passenger car sales, meanwhile, fell 2 percent, according to industry consultant LMC Automotive. And that trend's been happening for a while: Since 2013, SUV sales are up 87 percent and car sales are down 8 percent, says LMC.

The market shift is unmistakable, but for now, at least, small, economical sedans still outsell SUVs on a worldwide basis.

The most popular car in the world -- of all time, in fact, -- is the Toyota Corolla, with more than 43 million units sold worldwide since 1966. It's built at 16 plants worldwide, including Toyota plants in Mississippi and Canada. Toyota sold 1,160,495 units of the efficient and reliable compact in 2017, easily beating the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf, ranked 2nd and 3rd, which sold 833,017 and 788,044 vehicles, respectively, according to LMC data.

But it's worth noting that an SUV, Toyota's RAV4, almost broke into the top three with global sales of 786,580 units. Two other SUVs, the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape, also made the top 10. Ford's F-Series pickups were also among the top sellers, primarily due to their popularity in North America.