From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A subcompact car is an automobile in a North American vehicle size class, encompassing vehicles smaller than compact cars. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a passenger car is classified as subcompact if it has between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume. Many contemporary subcompacts sold in North America fall into the supermini category (as defined by Euro NCAP) in Europe.
In North America, this type of car was first seen in the 1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan and a number of imported models, notably the Volkswagen Beetle and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the 1970s with the introduction of such cars as the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega, which were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from Volkswagen, Nissan-Datsun, and Toyota. As of 2008, numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Versa, the Honda Fit, the Scion xD, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Kia Rio, and the Hyundai Accent.
[edit] See also
| Car classification |
| American English |
British English |
Segment (used in Europe) |
Euro NCAP |
Examples |
| Microcar |
Microcar, Bubble car |
- |
- |
Aixam, Smart Fortwo |
| - |
City car |
A-segment |
Supermini |
Fiat Nuova 500, Renault Twingo |
| Subcompact car |
Supermini |
B-segment |
Hyundai Accent, Opel Corsa |
| Compact car |
Small family car |
C-segment |
Small family car |
Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf |
| Mid-size car |
Large family car |
D-segment |
Large family car |
Opel Vectra, Volkswagen Passat |
| Entry-level luxury car |
Compact executive car |
Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class |
| Full-size car |
Executive car |
E-segment |
Executive car |
Chrysler 300 |
| Mid-size luxury car |
Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class |
| Full-size luxury car |
Luxury car |
F-segment |
- |
Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class |
| Sports car |
Sports car |
- |
- |
Chevrolet Corvette C6, Porsche 911 |
| Grand tourer |
Grand tourer |
- |
- |
Jaguar XK, Maserati Quattroporte |
| Supercar |
Supercar |
- |
- |
Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F50 |
| Convertible |
Convertible |
- |
- |
Mercedes CLK, Volkswagen Eos |
| Roadster |
Roadster |
- |
Roadster |
Audi TT, BMW Z4, Mazda MX-5/Miata |
| - |
Leisure activity vehicle |
B-segment |
Small MPV |
Peugeot Partner, Škoda Roomster |
| - |
Mini MPV |
B-segment |
Opel Meriva, Volkswagen Golf Plus |
| Compact minivan |
Compact MPV |
C-segment |
Mazda5, Opel Zafira, Volkswagen Touran |
| Minivan |
Large MPV |
D-segment |
MPV |
Ford Galaxy, Toyota Previa, Volkswagen Eurovan |
| Mini SUV |
Mini 4x4 |
B-segment |
Small Off-Roader |
Suzuki SX4, Toyota RAV4 |
| Compact SUV |
Compact 4x4 |
C/D-segment |
Audi Q5, Honda CR-V |
| Mid-size crossover SUV |
Large 4x4 |
E-segment |
Large Off-Roader |
Audi A6 allroad quattro, BMW X3 |
| Mid-size SUV |
Off-roader |
E-segment |
BMW X5, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Volkswagen Touareg |
| Full-size SUV |
- |
Audi Q7, Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban |
[edit] External links
