The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars , and is described as "large cars".
12-708: The Austin Ambassador is a large family car that was introduced by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland in March 1982. The vehicle was a heavily updated version of the Princess , a saloon car that had lacked a hatchback. Only the doors and inner structure were carried over, but the wedge-shaped side profile betrayed the car's Princess origins, and it was not considered a truly new model. The Princess had been out of production for four months by
24-470: Is because premium cars are included. From 2014 to 2018 premium cars are not included in total segment sales. Premium brands and models are marked italic . Electric cars are included in D-segment from 2019. year. 2019 - After years of decline, the midsized car segment is actually up 1% in 2019 to 1.05 million sales, maintaining a 6.7% share of the overall car market. 2020 - The midsized car segment
36-522: Is down 25% in 2020 to just under 790,000 sales, as its share of the European car market drops to 6.6%, slightly down from 6.7% last year. And luxury brands have now officially taken over control of this class, improving their share to 62.3% from 60.5% last year and claiming four of the top-5 positions. The top-3 players all gain share, outperforming not only the class but also the overall market. Note: this list includes cars from these decades which carried
48-579: The Morris Ital . Other minor components, including much of the interior trim, was also shared with other BL products, such as the Allegro . The interior was generally not an improvement over that of the Princess, feeling cheap and lacking a rev counter, even in the top HLS model. According to British Leyland , only the front door skins were directly shared with the Princess. The rear part of the chassis
60-458: The 2.0-litre engine delivers 92 hp (69 kW) at 4900 rpm. In the HLS trim, the Ambassador was equipped with a 2.0-litre engine sporting twin carburettors - this allowed a power increase to 100 hp (75 kW) with torque measuring 120 lb⋅ft (163 N⋅m). A benefit of not installing the taller E6 engine was that the bonnet could be made lower and flatter, although this meant that
72-479: The Princess. As of 2023, 338 Princesses remain in active service in the UK with a MOT. Aside from the Ambassador's connections to the lowly repute of the Princess, commentators point out that its sedate image and driving characteristics (and low performance) also mitigate against its success in a market where performance and taut handling were becoming more important. Some components, such as the headlights, were shared with
84-474: The lack of a fifth gear (available in other BL models) for the manual transmission, as one of the car's drawbacks. Despite prototypes being built in left-hand drive, production versions of the Ambassador were only built in right-hand drive form and thus were not exported to continental Europe. Just 14 Ambassadors remain taxed and on the roads in Britain in 2023, out of 43,500 built; compared to around 225,000 for
96-853: The market in the 2010s. Most D-segment cars are sedans/saloons or wagons/estates but hatchbacks , and coupes have been common. Pricing and specification of D-segment cars can vary greatly, from basic low-cost transport to more luxurious and expensive models. As of 2021 the typical D-segment category size span from approx. 4.6m to 4.8m. D-segment cars in Europe are the BMW 3 Series, Tesla Model 3, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4/S4/RS4, Mazda6, Škoda Superb, Volvo S60/V60, Citroën C5X, Peugeot 508, Audi A5/S5/RS5, BMW 4 Series, Volkswagen Arteon, Toyota Camry and Polestar 2. 100,000 – 200,000 sales (Best-Selling) 50,000 – 100,000 sales 10,000 – 50,000 sales Notes: Jump in segment total sales after 2019. year
108-534: The new Rover 800 series . The Ambassador achieved domestic sales of 43,427 in the two years in which it was available. Large family car It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category used in North America. Compact executive cars are part of the D-segment size category. D-segment sales represented about 7% of
120-589: The time that the Ambassador went on sale. To some extent a car that bridged the gap between the smaller Morris Ital and the Rover SD1 , sales were low and the model was discontinued in 1984 with 43,427 cars built. Unlike the Princess, a six-cylinder 2.2-litre version was not available; the Ambassador was offered only as a four-cylinder, initially with either a 1.7-litre or a 2.0-litre (single carburettor) variant in "L", "HL" and "HLS" trims. The 1.7-litre engine generates 82 hp (61 kW) at 5200 rpm, while
132-487: The wipers were now no longer concealed (unlike those of the Princess). Instead of the previous 2.2-litre models, there were the HLS and later Vanden Plas trim levels, both with a twin-carburettor version of the 2.0-litre engine. In 1983, the 2.0-litre HL was upgraded to also use the more powerful twin-carburettor engine. A four-speed manual gearbox (and automatic) were the only transmissions offered, with commentators citing
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#1732775779604144-590: Was modified to accommodate the opening hatch, and there were windows in the C-pillars which did make for an airier cabin. The Ambassador only served as a stop-gap in the Austin range, and it was discontinued in March 1984 (after exactly two full years), with no official replacement. The gap it left in the Austin-Rover range was effectively filled by the slightly smaller Montego , and by lower-specced versions of
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