Car classification
The size of a subcompact car is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as having a combined interior and cargo volume of between 85–99 cubic feet (2,410–2,800 L).
[5] Since the EPA's smaller minicompact category is not as commonly used by the general public, A-segment cars are sometimes called subcompacts in the United States.
In Europe and Great Britain, the B-segment and supermini categories do not have any formal definitions based on size.
Early supermini cars in Great Britain include the 1977 Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette.
In the United States, the first locally-built subcompact cars were the 1970 AMC Gremlin, Chevrolet Vega, and Ford Pinto.
The size of a compact car is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as having a combined interior and cargo volume of 100–109 cu ft (2.8–3.1 m3).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines a mid-size car as having a combined passenger and cargo volume of 110–119 cu ft (3.1–3.4 m3).
Mini MPV is the smallest size of MPVs and the vehicles are often built on the platforms of B-segment hatchback models.
Compact MPVs remain predominantly a European phenomenon, although they are also built and sold in many Latin American and Asian markets.
Examples of Compact MPVs: The largest size of minivans is also referred to as "large MPV" and became popular following the introduction of the 1984 Renault Espace and Dodge Caravan.
Examples of Large MPVs: The premium compact class (also called subcompact executive) is the smallest category of luxury cars.
Examples of sports sedans: A supercar – also called an exotic car – is a loosely defined description of certain high-performance sportscars.
[22] Common features of off-road vehicles are four-wheel drive, high ground clearance, a body-on-frame (separate chassis) construction and low-range gearing.
In some countries — such as the United States — SUVs have been classified as "light trucks", resulting in more lenient regulations compared to passenger cars.
The predecessors to SUVs date back to military and low-volume models from the late 1930s, and the four-wheel drive station wagons / carryalls that began to be introduced in 1949.
Examples of crossover SUVs: These classifications can be based on body style (e.g. sedan, coupe or hatchback), number of doors or seating capacity.
[29] In the United States, since 2010 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has used a formula it developed that takes into account a combination of both vehicle footprint (length times width) and weight.
[30] The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) separates vehicles into classes by the curb weight of the vehicle with standard equipment including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil, coolant, and air conditioning, if so equipped.
[33] The United States Federal Highway Administration has developed a classification system used for automatically calculating road use tolls.
[34] The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has developed a classification system used to compare fuel economy among similar vehicles.
The term originated for the 1960s and early 1970s special editions of mass-production cars which were designed for drag racing.
It broke all post-World War II automobile sales records, "creating the 'pony car' craze soon adopted by competitors."
The term describes an affordable, compact, highly styled car with a sporty or performance-oriented image.
Cars began to be marketed as sport compacts in the mid-1980s when it was used for option packages on American-built coupes.
A grand tourer (GT) is a car that is designed for high-speed and long-distance driving, due to a combination of performance and luxury attributes.
