The E-segment is the 5th category of the European segments for passenger cars, synonymous with the term executive car. [1] [2] [3]
E-Segment is a niche in Europe (2-3% penetration in 2010s). In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, E-segment sales accounted for 2.7%, 2.7%, 2.3% and 2.1% market share in Europe, respectively. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Most E-segment cars are sedans/saloons, however several models are also produced in other body styles such as wagons/estates. As of 2021, E-segment cars typically have a length of approx. 4.8m to 5m.
The terms E-segment or executive car do not have a one-to-one equivalent in the American car classification. However, if a modern E-segment sedan by a European brand is sold in the U.S., it falls into the category of both mid-size and full-size sedan, usually a mid-size luxury sedan.
The American mid-size sedan classification [note 1] spans both the D-segment and the E-segment. With size brackets of European car segments increasing, the Toyota Camry fell from the E-segment [8] into the D-segment while remaining a mid-size car.
In 2020, the highest selling E-segment cars in Europe were the Mercedes-Benz E-class, BMW 5 Series, Audi A6, Volvo V90/S90 and Porsche Taycan. [9]
50.000 - 100.000 sales(Best-Selling)
10.000 - 50.000 sales
Fewer than 10.000 sales
Moved to F-segment
2020 rank | Brand | Model | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | % change (2019–2020) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mercedes-Benz | E-Class | 106,559 | 99,565 | 84,771 | 99,494 | 127,638 | 117,906 | 107,453 | 70,171 | -35% |
2 | BMW | 5 Series | 107,307 | 98,701 | 88,898 | 81,599 | 109,953 | 108,653 | 89,326 | 59,814 | -33% |
3 | Audi | A6 / S6 / RS6 / A6 allroad quattro | 82,883 | 84,283 | 95,329 | 93,479 | 78,944 | 71,258 | 83,012 | 55,737 | -33% |
4 | Volvo | S90 / V90 | - | - | - | 10,834 | 55,193 | 56,192 | 40,315 | 23,578 | -42% |
5 | Porsche | Taycan | - | - | - | - | - | - | 746 | 12,332 | +1553% |
6 | Audi | Audi A7 / S7 / RS7 | 8,986 | 8,473 | 10,196 | 9,120 | 6,111 | 8,935 | 8,185 | 5,807 | -29% |
7 | Tesla | Model S | 3,911 | 8,841 | 15,169 | 11,564 | 16,026 | 17,386 | 8,635 | 5,562 | -36% |
8 | Mercedes-Benz | CLS-Class | 15,139 | 10,289 | 12,600 | 7,803 | 5,116 | 9,113 | 8,428 | 3,895 | -54% |
9 | Lexus | ES | - | - | - | - | - | 217 | 3,818 | 3,699 | -3% |
10 | Jaguar | XF | 20,414 | 20,609 | 16,416 | 16,024 | 12,501 | 10,375 | 5,935 | 2,450 | -59% |
11 | BMW | 6 Series | 8,549 | 7,880 | 7,370 | 5,732 | 5,610 | 10,703 | 5,362 | 2,060 | -62% |
12 | Maserati | Ghibli | 339 | 4,238 | 4,644 | 4,124 | 2,981 | 2,534 | 1,723 | 1,006 | -42% |
13 | Polestar | Polestar 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 65 | New |
14 | Infiniti | Q70 | 339 | 145 | 560 | 484 | 362 | 64 | 21 | 4 | -81% |
15 | Lexus | GS | 1,922 | 2,032 | 1,373 | 2,023 | 1,508 | 1,066 | 163 | 1 | -99% |
16 | Genesis | G80 | - | 163 | 228 | 131 | 49 | 30 | 9 | 0 | -100% |
BMW | 8 Series | - | - | - | - | - | 1,299 | (moved to F-Segment) | |||
Volvo | V70 / XC70 | 40,260 | 46,348 | 49,263 | 30,436 | 511 | 21 | (replaced by V90 Series) | |||
Chrysler/Lancia | 300C/Thema | 2,236 | 392 | 28 | 19 | 16 | 12 | ||||
Segment total | 402,673 | 394,931 | 389,184 | 366,603 | 422,525 | 415,757 | 363,131 | 246,181 | -32% | ||
Source | [10] | [11] | [12] | [13] | [14] | [15] | [16] | [17] |
Notes:
1. The table includes not only E-segment cars, but also a car fitting the F-segment in terms of size (the 2011 Chrysler 300).
2. Our source of information initial include BMW 8 Series in E-segment, but latter moved to F-segment.
2019 - Sales of large cars in Europe were down 13% in 2019 to 362,300 units, a new record low annual volume for this class, which now accounts for 2.3% of the total European car market, down from 2.7% in 2018. [18]
2020 - The large cars segment in Europe is down 32% in 2020, to just over 246,000 deliveries. This means the segment loses ground on the overall market again and now accounts for just 2.1% of the total European car market, down from 2.3% in 2019. With the exception of a newcomer, the entire top-8, which accounts for nearly 91% of the segment's sales, drops by 29% or more and thus falls behind the overall market. Only one single model in the class manages to keep its decline limited to single digits. [19]
Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked among the 10 largest Japanese global brands in market value. Lexus is headquartered in Nagoya, Japan. Operational centers are located in Brussels, Belgium, and Plano, Texas, United States.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it is today after World War II by British Army officer Ivan Hirst. The company is well known for the Beetle and serves as the flagship marque of the Volkswagen Group, which became the world's largest automotive manufacturer by global sales in 2016 and 2017.
A luxury car is a passenger vehicle providing above-average to high-end comfort levels, features, and equipment. More expensive materials and surface finishes are often used, and buyers expect better build quality. The usually higher pricing and more upscale appearance are often associated with the users' higher social status compared to low- and mid-market segment cars.
Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Corporation. The brand began on November 8, 1989, initially in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in the 2010s. As of 2020, there were 25 markets served by new car dealers, primarily North America, China, Taiwan, and the Middle East.
Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for various purposes including regulation, description, and categorization of cars.
The BMW 3 Series is a line of compact executive cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. It is the successor to the 02 Series and has been produced in seven generations.
The Volkswagen Passat is a nameplate of large family cars (D-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973 and also marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar and Carat — in saloon, estate, and hatchback body styles.
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 (SUVs), which are built on a body-on-frame chassis construction similar to pickup trucks.
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars. It is the largest size class for cars. In the United Kingdom, this class is referred to as the executive car, while in Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-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.
Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars, but smaller than luxury saloons / full-size luxury sedans.
A compact executive car, also known as a compact luxury car, is a premium car larger than a premium compact and smaller than an executive car. Compact executive car is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in the European car classification.
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.
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 D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars".
The F-segment is the 6th category and largest of the European segments for passenger cars, and always belongs to "luxury cars".
The BMW X1 is a line of cars produced by German marque BMW since 2009. It is in the subcompact luxury crossover class, and the first-generation X1 was based on the E90 3 Series and offered rear-wheel drive layout as standard. At its introduction in 2009, it was positioned as the smallest SUV in BMW line-up, below the X3 prior to the launch of the smaller X2. The X1 essentially is aiming a wider range of customers due to its smaller size, increased efficiency, and a lower price tag due to the all-wheel drive layout (xDrive) being optional.
S-segment cars are a European car segment class for sports coupés. The equivalent Euro NCAP class is called "roadster sport".
The Porsche Taycan is a battery electric luxury sports sedan and shooting brake car produced by German automobile manufacturer Porsche. The concept version of the Taycan named the Porsche Mission E, debuted at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. Four years later, the production Taycan was revealed at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. As Porsche's first series production electric car, it is sold in several variants at different performance levels, and may spawn further derivatives in future models. It is built on the J1 electric car platform shared with the similarly shaped Audi e-tron GT.
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.