2021 Best-Selling
Fiat 500 (2007) 1st generation (2007–present)
Fiat Panda 3rd generation (2011–present)
Toyota Aygo 2nd generation (2014–2021)
Volkswagen Up! 1st generation (2011-present)
Kia Picanto 3rd generation (2017–present)

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.[1][2][3]

A-segment sales represent approximately 7–8% of the market in 2010s.[4][5][6] It is approximately equivalent to the kei car class in Japan.

Definition

As of 2021, the A-segment category size spans from approximately 2.7 metres (110 in) to 3.7 metres (150 in).

Characteristics

Body styles for A-segment cars in Europe are always hatchbacks. But as crossovers gain popularity, new models may shift to resemble crossovers. Such examples are the Suzuki Ignis and the Toyota Aygo X. Other body styles such as sedans are not present in this segment because these shapes largely prove impractical at typical A-segment dimensions.

Current models

In 2020 the ten highest selling A-segment cars in Europe were Fiat Panda, Fiat 500, Toyota Aygo, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Up!, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Peugeot 108, Citroën C1 and Suzuki Ignis. [7]

100,000 - 200,000 sales (Best-Selling)

50,000 - 100,000 sales

10,000 - 50,000 sales

Sales figures in Europe

2021

rank

 Brand Model 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 % change

(2020–2021)

1 Fiat Panda 152,727 152,045 171,377 190,432 187,049 168,094 184,027 145,907 175,950 Increase +25%
2 Fiat 500 (2007) 158,918 180,403 180,005 183,194 189,360 188,448 175,017 141,313 131,723 Decrease -10%
3 Toyota Aygo 57,002 68,874 86,085 84,321 84,588 92,187 99,510 82,711 82,820 Steady 0%
4 Volkswagen Up! 130,039 124,845 105,348 96,836 100,715 97,366 80,048 59,578 69,400 Increase +16%
5 Kia Picanto 50,524 51,222 54,036 54,982 62,161 74,526 74,305 49,211 59,949 Increase +22%
6 Renault Twingo 78,432 81,574 95,808 84,766 77,326 86,221 87,383 73,345 58,161 Decrease -21%
7 Hyundai i10 60,324 80,819 86,004 85,385 90,603 83,102 78,791 50,233 56,074 Increase +12%
8 Suzuki Ignis - - - 1,602 41,166 43,774 38,091 37,568 42,206 Increase +12%
9 Citroën C1 56,722 53,518 63,695 62,537 53,292 52,020 49,900 40,578 35,897 Decrease -12%
10 Peugeot 108 - 31,087 68,522 63,561 55,831 57,257 54,230 43,629 34,689 Decrease -20%
11 Mitsubishi Mirage/Space Star 13,978 22,008 29,547 27,386 30,016 36,105 38,002 35,703 32,662 Decrease -9%
12 Smart Fortwo 65,226 52,059 57,056 69,169 65,800 62,361 77,766 19,576 26,869 Increase +37%
13 Dacia Spring - - - - - - - 1,724 25,740 Increase +1,393%
14 SEAT Mii 28,608 24,865 24,298 19,882 15,412 13,031 12,641 7,790 9,428 Increase +21%
15 Smart Forfour 3,757 39,543 37,133 34,253 34,975 36,736 7,640 8,823 Increase +15%
16 Škoda Citigo 44,851 40,616 38,735 38,664 35,698 36,450 30,786 14,120 5,264 Decrease -63%
17 Renault Kwid - - - - - - - 65 439 Increase +575%
18 Suzuki Celerio - 894 25,393 26,465 23,417 20,836 13,275 2,035 16 Decrease -99%
19 Citroën C-Zero - - 1,075 1,780 1,105 1,247 980 1,839 14 Decrease -99%
20 Peugeot iOn - - 1,461 1,881 1,544 1,651 865 333 4 Decrease -99%
Citroën E-Mehari - - - 569 353 321 154 78 -
Mitsubishi i-MiEV - - 714 484 447 325 171 57 -
Opel/Vauxhall Adam 45,756 54,207 55,278 52,938 48,181 41,817 31,129 5 -
Mitsubishi Attrage - - 352 168 114 62 88 1 -
Opel/Vauxhall Karl/Viva - - 28,607 57,458 49,516 48,292 47,504 0 -
DR Automobiles Zero - - - 261 174 - - 0 -
Lancia/Chrysler Ypsilon 57,613 62,807 59,501 66,941 - - - - -
Ford Ka 50,012 52,854 48,368 21,333 204 16 - - -
Peugeot 107 55,244 24,356 88 5 1 2 - - -
Chevrolet Spark 37,268 10,138 479 96 2 3 - - -
Suzuki Alto 26,821 26,876 5,710 4 2 - - - -
Suzuki Splash 15,563 13,232 2,663 11 - - - - -
Opel/Vauxhall Agila 14,020 12,200 2,054 19 1 - - - -
Toyota iQ 5,462 3,593 292 172 2 3 - - -
Tata Indica 345 52 3 - - - - -
Nissan Pixo 3,321 131 - - - - - - -
DR Automobiles DR1 21 - - - - - - - -
Daihatsu Cuore/Charade 5 - - - - - - - -
Volkswagen Fox 1 - - - - - - - -
Abarth 500 - - - - 18,499 20,570 19,157 - -
Segment total 1,208,431 1,229,352 1,332,146 1,330,438 1,266,832 1,261,062 1,230,556 814,974 856,129 Increase -5%
Source [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Market share in Europe

Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021[16]
Share 8.1% 8% 7.7% 6.8% 7.3%

2019 - In 2019, sales of minicars were down 2% compared to a total market gain of 1% which means this segment now makes up 7.7% of the total European car market at 1.21 million sales, down from 8% in 2018. And with margins on minicars under pressure due to increased costs to comply with stricter safety and emissions standards, manufacturers are scaling back investments in to minicars or switching to an EV-only strategy. [17]

In Italy, A-segment cars represented 16.4% of car sales in the first half of 2019.[18]

2020 - European sales of minicars were down by a third in 2020, which translates to nearly 400,000 fewer sales and means the segment loses market share as the overall market is down 24%. As a result, this segment now makes up 6.8% of the total European car market, down from 7.7% last year. And their share is expected to shrink further in coming years, as manufacturers are pulling out of this segment or switching their models to EV-only. This is a result of increasing costs to comply with stricter safety and especially emissions standards, which makes minicars nearly unprofitable, especially considering that for most models from European brands this is the only market. [19]

Market share in other countries

In the United States, minicar segment cars represented 0.5% of the market share.

In 2020 the highest selling minicar segment cars in the U.S. were the Chevrolet Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage and Mini Cooper.[20]

In India, historically the A-segment cars had the highest sales. Sales have been in decline in recent years,[21] falling from 70,000 sales per month in 2014 to 47,000 sales per month in 2016.[22]

As of 2019, several A-segment cars had successes outside Europe, such as Hyundai Grand i10, Honda Brio, Kia Picanto, Toyota Wigo, Suzuki Celerio, Suzuki Wagon R, Suzuki/Maruti Alto, Ford Figo, Smart ForTwo, Citroën C1, Peugeot 108, and modern Fiat 500.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "European classification for vehicle category, based in UNECE standards". European Alternative Fuels Observatory. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ↑ Patton, Phil (28 March 2005). "AUTOS ON MONDAY/Design; Little Cars in the Big Apple: Still Only a Good Idea". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 March 2010. In Europe, the "city car" is a well-understood concept
  3. ↑ Ruppert, James. "Motoring: The City car to be seen in". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2010. (City cars) are meant to be cheap, small, easy to park and yet practical, with good manners on the open road
  4. ↑ "European sales 2018 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "European sales 2019 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "European sales 2020 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "European sales 2020 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "European sales 2013 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "European sales 2014 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "European sales 2015 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "European sales 2016 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "European sales 2017 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "European sales 2018 Minicar segment". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "European sales 2019 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "European sales 2020 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  16. 1 2 "2021 Best Selling Subcompact Cars In Europe (All Models Ranked)". www.goodcarbadcar.net. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "European sales 2019 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Car market share in Italy from January to June 2019, by segment". www.statista.com. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  19. ↑ "European sales 2020 Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  20. ↑ "US car sales analysis 2020 – Minicars". www.carsalesbase.com. February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  21. ↑ "India: A-segment cars biggest market share loser, compact SUVs leading gainer". www.ihsmarkit.com. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
  22. ↑ "Segment shift: Indian car buyers now prefer premium". www.carwale.com. 14 April 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
Car market segments and legal classifications
Euro Car Segment[1]Euro NCAP ClassUS EPA
Size Class[2]		Other common
segment terms		Examples
Quadricycle——Microcar
Bubble car		Bond Bug, Smart ForTwo, Isetta,
Mega City, Renault Twizy
A-segment mini carsSuperminiMinicompactCity car
Kei car (JP)		Chevrolet Spark, Fiat 500, Kia Picanto,
Suzuki Alto, Renault Twingo
B-segment small carsSubcompact—Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio, Opel Corsa,
Peugeot 208, Volkswagen Polo
C-segment medium carsSmall family carCompact—Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus,
Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Golf
Subcompact executiveAcura ILX, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series,
Lexus CT, Mercedes-Benz A-Class
D-segment large carsLarge family carMid-size—Ford Mondeo, Toyota Camry, Peugeot 508,
Mazda6, Volkswagen Passat
Compact executive (U.K.)
Entry-level luxury (U.S.)		Alfa Romeo Giulia, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series,
Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class
E-segment executive carsExecutiveLargeFull-size car (U.S.)Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300, Ford Taurus,
Holden Caprice, Toyota Avalon
Mid-size luxury (U.S.)Audi A6, BMW 5 Series, Cadillac CT5,
Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Tesla Model S
F-segment luxury cars—Full-size luxury (U.S.)
Luxury saloon (U.K.)		Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Jaguar XJ,
Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Panamera
S-segment sports coupés——SupercarBugatti Chiron, LaFerrari, Lamborghini Aventador,
Pagani Huayra, Porsche 918 Spyder
——ConvertibleChevrolet Camaro, Mercedes-Benz CLK,
Volvo C70, Volkswagen Eos, Opel Cascada
Roadster sportsTwo-seaterRoadster
Sports car		BMW Z4, Lotus Elise, Mazda MX-5,
Porsche Boxster, Mercedes-Benz SLK
M-segment multi purpose carsSmall MPVMinivanMini MPVCitroën C3 Picasso, Kia Venga, Ford B-Max,
Opel Meriva, Fiat 500L
Compact MPVChevrolet Orlando, Ford C-Max, Suzuki Ertiga,
Renault Scénic, Volkswagen Touran
Large MPVPeople mover (AU)Chrysler Pacifica (RU), Kia Carnival, Renault Espace,
Toyota Sienna, Citroën C4 Grand Picasso
J-segment sport utility carsSmall off-road 4x4Small SUVMini 4x4 (U.K.)
Mini SUV (U.S.)		Daihatsu Terios, Ford EcoSport, Jeep Renegade,
Peugeot 2008, Suzuki Jimny
Compact 4x4 (U.K.)
Compact SUV		Tesla Model Y, Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape,
Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage
Large off-road 4x4Standard SUVLarge 4x4 (U.K., AU)
Mid-size SUV (U.S.)		Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe, Jeep Grand Cherokee,
Volkswagen Touareg, Volvo XC90
Full-size SUV (U.S.)
Large 4x4 (U.K.)
Upper Large SUV (AU)		Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover, Chevrolet Suburban,
Toyota Land Cruiser, Mercedes-Benz GLS
  1. ↑ "Case No COMP/M.1406 - Hyundai / Kia: Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89 Merger Procedure: Article 6(1)(b) Non-opposition" (PDF). Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. 17 March 1999. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  2. ↑ 40 CFR 600.315-08
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