The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". [1] [2] [3] The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent of total car sales in 2020 according to JATO Dynamics. [4] B-segment cars include hatchback, saloon, estate, coupe/convertible, MPV, and crossover/SUV body styles. [5] [6]
The European segments are not based on size or weight criteria. [7] In practice, B-segment cars have been described as having a length of approximately 3.7–4.2 m (146–165 in), and may vary depending on the body styles, markets, and era. [8] [9] [10] In some cases, the same car may be differently positioned depending on the market. [9]
The Euro NCAP vehicle class called "Supermini" also includes smaller A-segment cars alongside B-segment cars. [11]
In Britain, the term "supermini" is more widely used for B-segment hatchbacks. [12] The term was developed in the 1970s as an informal categorisation, [13] and by 1977 was used regularly by the British newspaper The Times . [14] By the mid-1980s, it had widespread use in Britain. [15] [16] [17]
In Germany, the term "small cars" (German : Kleinwagen) has been endorsed by the Federal Motor Transport Authority ( Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt , KBA) equivalent to the B-segment. [18] [19] The segment accounts for 15.1 percent of total car registrations in the country in 2020. [20]
The term supermini, which precedes the B-segment term, emerged in the UK in the 1970s, as car manufacturers sought a new design to surpass the influential Mini, launched in 1959, and journalists attempted to categorise such a vehicle. [21] [22] The car which is widely regarded as the first modern supermini is the Autobianchi A112, launched in 1969. It was later followed by the Fiat 127, Renault 5, VW Polo and Honda Civic, which are similar in concept and size.
These supermini or B-segment cars were considered to feature better comfort and convenience, with the safety and surefootedness of the Mini's front-wheel drive/transverse engine package. That meant the addition of a hatchback and folding rear seats. The oil crisis in the 1970s was also argued to increase supermini market share. [9]
In 1976, Ford launched the Ford Fiesta which became popular. [23] [24] The segment began to be more popular in the 1980s. [23] By the mid-1980s, the term supermini had become established as a formal car classification term, [16] eventually being adopted in European Commission classification as the B-segment. [7]
The 1990 Renault Clio and 1983 Fiat Uno were significant models in the supermini or the B-segment, being the recipients of the European Car of the Year award. [25] [26] The Clio replaced the long-running Renault 5, although the latter remained in production until 1996. [27] In 1993, the Nissan Micra (K11), became the first Japanese car company to be receive the European Car of the Year award. [28] In 1999, the Toyota Yaris received the European Car of the Year award, and was noted for its high roof which allowed for improved interior space. [29] Another notable model is the Opel Corsa, which was the best-selling car in the world in the year 1998 thanks to its extensive international presence. It recorded a global sales of 910,839 units that year, in which 54 percent was contributed by its European sales. [30] It took the world number one spot from the Toyota Corolla at 906,953 sales. [31]
Safety features have improved for the cars in the segment. In 1995, both petrol and diesel B-segment vehicles had only around 40 percent of the listed safety options installed (side impact bars, driver/passenger airbag, side airbag, ABS, electronic braking system, stability control), whereas by 2010 they were averaging over 90 percent. This represents a significant improvement in vehicle safety over the period, despite petrol and diesel B-segment vehicles averaging an inflation-adjusted price increase of 6 percent and 15 percent respectively. [32]
Studies from the European Union and JATO has found that the average maximum power output of B-segment vehicles has increased by 40 percent between 1995 and 2010, while the average overall vehicle weight only increased by around 20 percent in the same period. Fuel consumption has decreased by around 20 percent, and power-to-weight ratio has increased by 15 percent. [33]
Hatchback is the most popular body style for the segment. [34] While the majority is equipped with five doors, many European-oriented hatchbacks was offered with both three-door and five-door versions, with 31 percent of European customers opting for three-door B-segment hatchbacks by 2007. The share has decreased to 13 percent in 2016 due to the shift of market preference which is moving towards prioritizing usability and practicality. [35] As the result, by late 2010s, a number of manufacturers had stopped offering three-door versions of its B-segment hatchback models in Europe. [36]
Other body styles currently available in the segment in Europe are saloon (example: Dacia Logan), estate (example: Dacia Logan MCV and Škoda Fabia Combi [37] ), and coupe/convertible (example: Mini Cooper Cabrio/Convertible). [34]
Performance-oriented versions of B-segment hatchbacks were developed and sold as a more expensive offering. Examples include the Ford Fiesta ST, Hyundai i20 N, Peugeot 208 GTi, Suzuki Swift Sport, Toyota GR Yaris, Volkswagen Polo GTI, among others. [38] [39]
B-segment MPV (also called mini MPV or B-MPV) are taller and/or longer derivatives of B-segment hatchbacks with an emphasis in interior space and practicality. [40] Examples are the Citroën C3 Picasso, Fiat 500L, and Ford B-Max. [40]
B-segment crossovers or SUVs (also called subcompact crossover SUV, small SUV, [42] or B-SUV [43] ) are crossovers/SUVs that has a dimensions on par or slightly larger than traditional B-segment cars, [44] and often are built on the same platform as B-segment hatchbacks or saloons. [45] [46] B-segment SUVs are usually excluded by analysts from traditional B-segment car sales. [34] [47] 22 percent of SUV global sales were contributed by B-segment SUVs in 2019. [34]
One of the first mass-market electric B-segment cars in Europe was the Renault Zoe, released in 2012. Global sales of the Zoe achieved the 50,000 unit milestone in June 2016, [49] and 200,000 units by March 2020. [50] [51] Other manufacturers followed suit; Groupe PSA introduced the Peugeot e-208 and Opel Corsa-e in 2019, [52] while Honda followed with the low-volume Honda e, [53] and Mini with their Mini Electric. [54]
The B-segment is considered as the European equivalent to the subcompact category widely known in North America, the A0-class in China, and the supermini category for B-segment hatchbacks in Great Britain. [55] [8] [56]
Category:Subcompact cars ( 306 )
Minivan is a car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is MPV or M-segment - and are taller than a sedan car, hatchback, SUV or station wagon.
The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including: Aston Martin, McLaren, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini and Lotus. Specialised sports car companies include: Ariel, BAC, Morgan, Caterham, AC Cars, Gordan Murray, TVR, Noble, Radical, Ginetta, Ultima Sports, Westfield, Lister, Arash and David Brown. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include: Nissan, Toyota, Mini and Vauxhall. Commercial vehicle manufacturers active in the UK include Alexander Dennis, Dennis Eagle, IBC Vehicles, Leyland Trucks, TEVVA and the London Electric Vehicle Company.
Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for various purposes including regulation, description, and categorization of cars.
The European Car of the Year (ECOTY) award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964 by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are Auto (Italy), Autocar, Autopista (Spain), Autovisie (Netherlands), L'Automobile Magazine (France), Stern (Germany) and Vi Bilägare (Sweden).
A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles (SUV), which are built on a body-on-frame chassis construction similar to pickup trucks.
Subcompact car is a North American classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini or A0-class (China) classifications.
The European Ford Fusion is a car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 2002 to 2012 across a single generation. It has a high roof, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel-drive, mini MPV design and is described in the motor industry as being part of the B-segment.
Mini MPV—an abbreviation for mini multi-purpose vehicle—is a vehicle size class for the smallest size of minivans/MPVs. The mini MPV size class sits below the compact MPV size class and the vehicles are often built on the platforms of B-segment hatchback models. By the European definition, the mini MPV commonly consists of cars with two rows of seats, while in Asia mini MPVs with three rows are common. Sliding doors are sometimes also fitted to mini MPVs. Mini MPVs are also called tall-hatchbacks or small MPVs.
The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillars, designated from front to rear of the car as A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar and D-pillar.
The C-segment is the 3rd category of the European segments for passenger cars and is described as "medium cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "small family car" size class, and the compact car category in the United States.
2000 in motoring deals with developments in the automotive industry that occurred throughout the year 2000 by various automobile manufacturers, grouped by country.
This article 2001 in motoring deals with developments in the automotive industry that occurred throughout the year 2001 by various automobile manufacturers, grouped by country.
Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
The A-segment is the first category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined.
The Opel Corsa is a supermini car manufactured and marketed by Opel since 1982 — as well as other brands, namely Vauxhall, Chevrolet, and Holden.
France was a pioneer in the automotive industry and is the 11th-largest automobile manufacturer in the world by 2015 unit production and the third-largest in Europe. It had consistently been the 4th-largest from the end of World War II up to 2000. It is 16% of sales of French manufactured products.
Common Modular Platform (CMP) is a modular car platform which is jointly developed and used by French car manufacturer PSA Group and Chinese car manufacturer Dongfeng. Debuted in 2018 with the release of the DS 3, the platform is mainly used by B-segment vehicles along with some entry level C-segment vehicles. For larger cars from the C-segment above, PSA/Stellantis uses the Efficient Modular Platform (EMP2).
Compact crossover SUV is an automobile classification used mainly in North America to describe a segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, between subcompact crossover SUV and mid-size crossover SUV.
Subcompact crossover SUV is an automobile segment used to describe the smallest segment of crossover SUV, a type of sport utility vehicle, below the compact crossover SUV. Subcompact crossover SUVs are usually based on a platform of a subcompact passenger car, although some high-end subcompact crossover models are based on a compact car (C-segment). The segment started to gain traction during early to mid-2010s when the number of models and sales figures rapidly increased in major markets such as North America and Europe. In 2019, around 22 percent of SUV global sales were contributed by subcompact crossovers.
exact market definition was left open .. boundaries between segments are blurred by factors other than the size or length of cars
exact market definition was left open .. boundaries between segments are blurred by factors other than the size or length of cars
From the fuel-saving point of view there can have been no more welcome trend in the past five years than the appearance from one European manufacturer after another of what has become known as the "supermini" – the Fiat 127, Renault 5, Peugeot 104, Volkswagen Polo and most recently, the Ford Fiesta.
Popularly known as superminis, these cars are a size larger than the original BMC Mini and are typified by the Austin Metro.
There are also said to be fears within the state-owned motor group that Ford, having displaced Leyland from their traditional market leadership, will stay top for the rest of the year and could consolidate this position further with the introduction of the super "Mini", the Ford Fiesta.
Leyland Cars announce a plan to mass produce a super Mini in an integrated operation at Longbridge.
the Zoe (the tiny Twizy isn't technically a car, after all) was one of the first electric superminis on the block,
B-segment cars.
