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.
39-462: The Singer SM1500 is a small family car produced by Singer Motors from 1948 to 1956. The first new design produced by Singer after World War II it was planned to replace their Super Ten and Super Twelve . Following a minor facelift in 1952 the SM1500 was given a traditional Singer radiator grille in 1954 and in that form, known as a Singer Hunter, it remained in production until shortly after
78-402: A Packard designed coil spring independent suspension built under licence. The brakes were hydraulically operated using a Lockheed system with 9 in (229 mm) drums. The four-speed gearbox had a column change which made it difficult or impossible to select second and reverse. "Many an exasperated driver rammed his knuckles into the mock-wood-painted metal dashboard in the attempt". The car
117-516: A capacity of 1497 cc to bring it into the sub 1500 class. From 1952 a 58 bhp (43 kW) twin-carburettor version was available for an extra £28. It was reported that the engine block was so tough that the manufacturers were happy to quote 65,000 miles (105,000 kilometers) as a "normal" interval between rebores. The body was styled by Leo Shorter, Singer's chief engineer since 1937. He had been inspired by Howard Darrin 's 1946 Kaiser-Frazer . Shorter lacked Darrin's flair and "produced one of
156-686: A large margin. According to 2011 sales, compact cars are currently the second segment in Europe after the subcompact one (which in Europe corresponds to A-segment + B-segment ), with approximately 3 million units sold. Because of the Volkswagen Golf 's definition and long standing dominance of this class it is often referred to as the "Golf segment" in much of Europe. Mainstream compact sedans began falling in popularity since 1990s, when Peugeot stopped production of 306 in 4-door saloon form, and also sharply declining since 2010s, as well as
195-402: A length of approximately 4.5 metres (15 ft). As of 2021 C-segment category size span from approx. 4.2m to 4.6m Examples include Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Citroën C4, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW 1 Series, Audi A3, Škoda Scala, Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. The most common body styles for C-segment cars in Europe are hatchbacks , and much less sedans and wagons/estates . In 2020
234-486: A top speed of only 71 mph (114 km/h), a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 27.9 seconds and an impressive overall fuel consumption figure for the road test of 29 miles per imperial gallon (9.7 L/100 km; 24 mpg ‑US ). A coupé utility variant was produced. It was advertised in Australia as "specially designed for Australian conditions". 17,382 SM1500 cars were made. In September 1954
273-666: A traditional saloon of this size though, with Volkswagen using the Golf as the base for its Jetta saloon, and Ford launching the Escort-based Orion in 1983. Also in the 1980s saloons became popular again in certain Western European markets, often with a different model name than the hatchback, for example the Renault 9 (Renault 11-based), Fiat Regata (Ritmo-based) and SEAT Málaga . Some carmakers later created
312-624: A twin overhead camshaft engine (using an HRG designed cylinder head). Very few, possibly 20, of the 75s were made before the range was cancelled. The Singer Gazelle was announced in September 1956 but the Hunter remained available. The Hunter name was revived by Rootes in 1966 for their Rootes Arrow range, in the form of the Hillman Hunter. A Hunter appears in the film Fire Maidens from Outer Space by Cy Roth , which has been called
351-600: Is because premium cars are included. From 2013–2018 premium cars had separate count, and are not included in mainstream total sales. Premium brands and models are marked italic . Electric cars are included in C-segment from 2020. year. 2019 – The compact car segment in Europe sees 5% fewer deliveries in 2019, as Europe’s #2 segment is down to 2.65 million sales, or 16.9% of the total European car market, down from 18% in 2018. 2020 – Sales of compact cars in Europe are down 24% to 2.03 million in 2020, perfectly in line with
390-555: The Fiat 124 and Fiat 125 ) and Lada Samara (since 1984) were very popular in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1970s and 1980s. The modern-day Lada 's compact cars are Lada Priora and Lada Vesta . There was also the lineup of the AZLK -factory, Moskvitch (from 1947 to 2003): 400 , 402 , 408 , 412 , Izh 2125 (the first Soviet hatchback ), 2140 and Aleko . At the start of
429-572: The Ford Escort , Vauxhall Viva , Austin Allegro and Hillman Avenger were still only available as saloons or estates, although some cars of this size, like the BMC/BL 1100 and 1300 saloons and Italy's Fiat 128 featured front-wheel drive from their launch during the 1960s. The C-segment was revolutionized in 1974 with the launch of the Volkswagen Golf , a front-wheel drive hatchback, which
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#1732791829474468-642: The liftback bodystyle like the Peugeot 309 , which replaced the Talbot Horizon in this sector at the end of 1985. Since the mid-1990s, premium brands usually associated with larger and more expensive cars have entered the C-segment with more affordable hatchbacks and saloons. The first such example was the Audi A3 in 1996. Subsequent cars of this type include the BMW 1 Series and Mercedes-Benz A-Class . In
507-546: The 1960s, the post war economic boom had produced customers who wanted something of intermediate size. These were usually saloons during the 1950s and 1960s. The world's first hatchback , the 1958 FR layout Austin A40 Farina Countryman model that was a co-development of BMC and the Italian design house Pininfarina at a time when this was unusual. It had a lift up rear window and drop down boot lid. It
546-617: The 1970 GS, Peugeot 304 and Renault 14 . During 1980s, Citroën replaced the GSA with the 1983 BX that was between the sizes of the small family car and large family car, in an attempt to cover both markets with single model. The Citroën ZX was the model which celebrated the entry of PSA Group (now Stellantis) in China during early 1990s. Cars of the Soviet/Russian brand Lada : VAZ-2101 , VAZ-2103 , VAZ-2106 , Lada Riva (based on
585-582: The 1970s, the two most popular sectors of the UK market were small family cars and large family cars . From its launch in 1962, the BMC 1100/1300 was often Britain's best selling car; other locally produced compact cars included the Ford Escort , Vauxhall Viva and Hillman Avenger . Imported small family cars that were popular in the UK included the Citroën GS and Datsun Sunny 120Y . British Leyland replaced
624-419: The 1st decade of 21st century, coupé convertibles (cabriolets) with components from these vehicles were being also built. Examples of this are the Peugeot 307 CC and later 308 CC in the first generation, third-generation Opel Astra TwinTop , second generation Ford Focus Coupe-Convertible , and Volkswagen Eos . Early successful compact family cars by French manufacturers are Citroën GS A hatch version of
663-651: The BMC 1100/1300 with a variety of models: the 1969 Austin Maxi , the 1971 Morris Marina , and the 1973 Austin Allegro . A second-generation Ford Escort (jointly designed in Britain and Germany) was released in 1974. The same year, the German Volkswagen Golf front-wheel-drive hatchback was released, becoming one of the first significantly-imported small family cars in the UK market. The sporty "GTI" version of
702-723: The European version of the Escort was replaced by the global Ford Focus MkI model. General Motors released the Vauxhall Astra Mk3 update in 1991 and the all-new Astra Mk4 in 1998. Rover Group introduced the Rover 200 Mk2 in 1989. The Rover 200 Mk3 was introduced in 1995, replacing the Honda Concerto-based Mk2 with a UK-designed car. Fibreglass Too Many Requests If you report this error to
741-680: The Golf sparked a huge demand for "hot hatches" in the UK and many other countries. The third-generation Vauxhall Viva was produced until late 1979, when it was replaced by the Vauxhall Astra (a rebadged Opel Kadett D which was initially produced in West Germany and Belgium). The Astra was part of a late-1970s transition in small family cars from being predominantly rear-wheel-drive saloons , to becoming front-wheel-drive hatchbacks (by then increasingly popular in mainland Europe). The Austin Allegro – introduced five years earlier –
780-567: The UK was the 1981 Triumph Acclaim , a licensed version of the four-door Honda Ballade with a Honda-designed engine. The Acclaim was replaced in 1984 by the Rover 200 . In late 1985 the Peugeot 309 became the first Peugeot to be built in the UK at the Ryton plant . Ford began the 1990s by replacing its 10-year-old Escort (and the Orion saloon version) with the Ford Escort MkV . In 1998,
819-680: The business was sold to Rootes Securities at the beginning of 1956. The sturdy Singer engine was briefly installed in a modified Hillman Minx named Singer Gazelle . Both the completion of a first prototype and a general description of the new unnamed car were announced in November 1947 and an early production car was displayed at the Earls Court Motor Show in October 1948. Singer's first demonstrators were sent overseas at Christmas time 1948. Production finally commenced just before
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#1732791829474858-564: The car was re-branded as the Singer Hunter with a traditional radiator grille and fibreglass bonnet lid. The Hunter was well equipped with twin horns and screenwash as standard. A horse-head mascot was fitted over the radiator. 4772 Hunters were made. The Times motoring correspondent tested the new model and reported in June 1955, under the headline "Reversion to "Traditional" Radiator Shell" followed by "Cushioned Comfort", that this car
897-463: The end of July 1949 with export-only deliveries beginning after that. The chairman explained to the shareholders' meeting in December 1950 that Singer made no motor vehicles from March 1940 until after the end of the war and for this reason the SM1500 employed and was built using out-dated pre-war technology. Singer's SM1500 had a pressed-steel body mounted on a separate chassis with at the front
936-488: The highest selling C-segment cars in Europe were the Volkswagen Golf, Škoda Octavia, Ford Focus, Mercedes A-Class, Toyota Corolla, SEAT León, BMW 1-Series, Audi A3, Citroen C4, Peugeot 308, Renault Mégane, Kia Ceed, Opel Astra, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Volkswagen ID.3. 200,000 – 300,000 sales (Best-Selling) 100,000 – 200,000 sales 50,000 – 100,000 sales Notes: Jump in segment total sales after 2019. year
975-474: The interior trim used Vynide, "a plastic material". A twin-carb version tested by The Motor magazine in 1952 had a top speed of 76 mph (122 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 23.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of 22.5 miles per imperial gallon (12.6 L/100 km; 18.7 mpg ‑US ) was recorded. The test car cost £1168 including taxes. A single carb version tested by The Autocar Magazine that same year managed
1014-399: The name on estate cars / Station Wagons so it is largely forgotten. This hatchback layout was further pioneered along with the European switch to front wheel drive FF layout with the smaller 1964 (Fiat) Autobianchi Primula . The modern C-segment market in Europe can be traced back to the 1968 launch of the Renault 6 , the first successful hatchback of this size. The hatchback bodystyle
1053-410: The overall market. And while Europeans bought more small crossovers than compact cars in the first three quarters of the year, in the full-year score the pecking order is returned to “normal”, with an advantage of 17,000 sales for the compact class. This result is mostly due to a wave of VW ID.3 (self)registrations, especially in December. We expect small crossovers to become Europe’s #2 segment in 2021 by
1092-785: The rear-wheel-drive saloon format of the Mk2 with a hatchback and front-wheel drive. (A saloon version called the Ford Orion was added in 1983.) Only in 1983 was the Austin Allegro replaced by the Austin Maestro hatchback. In 1984, the Vauxhall Astra Mk2 hatchback/estate/cabriolet was released, alongside a saloon version called the Vauxhall Belmont . The first significant Japanese-designed compact car in
1131-697: The reduced sales of 4-door Ford Focus . During the late 1990s, compact MPVs increased in popularity as a competitor to the compact car, with models such as the Renault Scenic and the Citroën C4 Picasso becoming popular in Europe. By the early 2010s, demand for compact MPVs was declining, due to the rise of the compact SUV . After the Second World War, European manufacturers usually featured two vehicle types: small economy cars that were usually saloons and large saloons . By
1170-460: The steering column gear change defeated many. At first, it sold well and was used by some police forces. It became a popular choice for provincial taxis but in the longer term there were fewer and fewer buyers. Full-width bodies became common and the car was over-priced. In 1952 the car was face-lifted with a reworked grille and raised headlamps. Offered only as an optional extra was leather upholstery for slightly less than £39 (UK market). Otherwise
1209-407: The ugliest saloons of its period". Inside, the car had a bench front seat with folding armrest and was optionally covered in leather. The metal trim was given a wood-grain finish. The car was considered well equipped in 1952, with a "heating and demisting unit" fitted as standard. The SM1500 as well as spacious and stable was sturdy and reliable but all the controls were too heavy for most women and
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1248-399: The worst film ever made. The car is shown in several rather pointless tracking shots at the beginning of the film, and it may be that this was an early example of product placement. Small family car In 2011, the C-segment had a European market share of 23%. The European segments are not based on size or weight criteria. In practice, C-segment cars have been described as having
1287-518: Was almost unique among British volume-produced saloons in featuring an overhead camshaft engine though both Wolseley's postwar cars and the Morris Six MS did also use Wolseley's normal single overhead camshafts. Singer's engine was based on the one used in the Super 12 but with larger bore and shorter stroke, giving a capacity of 1506 cc. From 1951 the stroke was further reduced to give
1326-561: Was also sold as a two-door saloon. It was built in Italy by Innocenti as well as in the UK. For 1965 Innocenti designed a new single-piece rear door for their Combinata version of the Countryman. This top-hinged door used struts to hold it up over a wide cargo opening and was a true hatchback – a model never developed in the home (United Kingdom) market. The Countryman name has 'estate' type associations, and BMC successor company Rover used
1365-416: Was excellent and the engine quiet beneath its plastic bonnet. The steering column gear lever was "rather stiff". A central old-fashioned floor-mounted lever was now available. The car's outstanding feature was its springing, its ride smoother than most cars provide. New models were announced for the October 1955 Earls Court Motor Show, a more basic model, the Hunter S, and a more powerful Hunter 75 which had
1404-540: Was first introduced by Renault with the 1964 Renault 16 , which was elected the 1965 Car of the year in Europe . A review in the English Motoring Illustrated in May 1965 stated: "The Renault Sixteen can thus be described as a large family car but one that is neither a four door saloon and nor is it quite an estate. But, importantly, it is a little different." Even the later similar-sized cars like
1443-463: Was front-wheel-drive, but was built in only saloon and estate body styles. Only the related Austin Maxi was a hatchback. The Hillman Avenger (marketed as a Chrysler Avenger 1976–1979 and as a Talbot Avenger 1979–1981) continued to sell well, in spite of the 1978 launch of the Talbot Horizon front-wheel-drive hatchback. The Ford Escort Mk3 went on sale in the autumn of 1980, replacing
1482-601: Was hugely successful all over Europe. Within a decade, most cars of this size in Europe were front-wheel drive hatchbacks. These included the Fiat Ritmo (Strada in the UK), Ford Escort (from the MK3 model launched in 1980), Opel Kadett ( Vauxhall Astra in the UK), Renault 11 , and the Talbot Horizon (originally a Chrysler / Simca until Peugeot took over Chrysler's European division in 1979). Most manufacturers still offered
1521-506: Was intended for the motorists who are prepared to pay for a rather better finish and more complete equipment than usually available in cars of this size. He remarked that the Singer was unusual in having a completely flat windscreen — less expensive to replace — and a good view through it was spoiled by unusually thick pillars, door surround and ventilator window surround. He put the car's fast cruising speed at 67 mph. Top gear acceleration
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