Est. profits since 1995: $12 billion
On a per-unit basis, the RX crossover SUV is one of the most profitable vehicles in history, according to the Bernstein Research report.
The RX is based on the same engineering as the popular Toyota Camry, already very profitable in its own right. But Toyota Motor Co. can sell the RX at much higher prices. (It's not clear why the RX was ranked separately from the Camry, while the BMW X5 was counted together with its sedan sibling.)
NEXT: 9. Jeep Grand Cherokee