The A-segment is the 1st 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.
A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market in 2010s.
It is approximately equivalent to the
kei car
Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...
class in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Definition
As of 2021 A-segment category size span from approximately to (photo comparison of new city cars of all brands sorted by length):
Characteristics
Body styles for A-segment cars in Europe are always
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
s. 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
A sedan or saloon (British English) is a passenger car in a three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo.
The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an automobile body occurred in 19 ...
are not present in this segment because these shapes largely prove impractical at typical A-segment dimensions.
History
As of 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, A-segment sales account for 8.1%, 8%, 7.7% and 6.8% market share in Europe respectively.
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.
100,000 - 200,000 sales (Best-Selling)
File:Fiat Panda in Mechelen NL.jpg , Fiat Panda
3rd generation (2011–present)
Made in Italy
File:2010 Fiat 500 Lounge 1.2 Front.jpg, Fiat 500 (2007)
The Fiat 500 is an A-segment city car manufactured and marketed by the Fiat subdivision of Stellantis since 2007. It is available in hatchback coupé and fixed-profile convertible body styles, over a single generation — with an intermediat ...
1st generation (2007–present)
Made in Poland
50,000 - 100,000 sales
File:Toyota Aygo (cropped).jpg, Toyota Aygo
2nd generation (2014–present)
Made in Czech Republic
File:Renault Twingo FL Monrepos 2019 IMG 1948.jpg, Renault Twingo
3rd generation (2014–present)
Made in Slovenia
File:VW high up! 1.0 BlueMotion Technology (Facelift) – Frontansicht, 21. April 2017, Düsseldorf.jpg, Volkswagen Up!
1st generation (2011–present)
Made in Slovakia
File:Hyundai i10 1.0 Intro (III) – f 03012021.jpg, Hyundai i10
3rd generation (2019-present)
Made in Turkey
10,000 - 50,000 sales
File:2018 Kia Picanto 3 Automatic 1.2 Front.jpg, Kia Picanto
3rd generation (2017–present)
Made in Russia
File:2018 Peugeot 108 Collection 1.0 Front (1).jpg, Peugeot 108
2nd generation (2014–2021)
Made in Czech Republic
File:2017 Citroen C1 Flair Puretech 1.2 Front.jpg, Citroën C1
2nd generation (2014–2021)
Made in Czech Republic
File:Suzuki Ignis (third generation) Facelift IMG 4450.jpg, Suzuki Ignis
2nd generation (2016–present)
Made in India
File:Mitsubishi Space Star (2019) Auto Zuerich 2021 IMG 0244.jpg, Mitsubishi Mirage
6th generation (2012-present)
Made in Thailand
File:Smart EQ fortwo IMG 3100.jpg, smart EQ fortwo
3rd generation (2016-present)
Made in France
File:2018 Skoda Citigo SE MPi 1.0 Front.jpg, Å koda Citigo
1st generation (2011–2020)
Made in Slovakia
Sales figures in Europe
Market share in Europe
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.
In Italy, A-segment cars represented 16.4% of car sales in the first half of 2019.
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.
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.
In India, historically the A-segment cars had the highest sales. Sales have been in decline in recent years,
falling from 70,000 sales per month in 2014 to 47,000 sales per month in 2016.
As of 2019, several A-segment cars had successes outside Europe, such as
Hyundai Grand i10
The Hyundai i10 is a city car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 2007. It replaced the Hyundai Atos in the model line-up, and was initially available only as a five-door hatchback body style. The third generation i10 was unvei ...
,
Honda Brio
The Honda Brio is an automobile produced by Honda since 2011. It is a city car/ subcompact car that is mainly sold in Southeast Asia and also in other regions, and positioned as an entry-level hatchback model slotted below the Fit/Jazz and the ...
,
Kia Picanto,
Toyota Wigo,
Suzuki Celerio
The Suzuki Celerio is a hatchback city car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki since 2008. Originally a rebadged Alto/A-Star city car for some markets, the Celerio was made as a global nameplate and a standalone model replacing the A-S ...
,
Suzuki Wagon R
The is a kei car manufactured and marketed by Suzuki since 1993. The R in the name stands for Revolution and Relaxation. The Wagon R uses a "tall wagon" configuration to maximize cabin space within kei car dimensional restrictions. The Wagon ...
,
Suzuki/Maruti Alto,
Ford Figo,
Smart ForTwo,
Citroën C1,
Peugeot 108, and modern
Fiat 500.
See also
*
B-segment
*
Euro Car Segment
*
Car classification
Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for various purposes including regulation, description, and categorization of cars.
The International Standard ISO 3833-1977 ''Road vehicles – Types ...
*
Vehicle size class
*
Hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
*
Economy car
*
Microcar
*
Kei car
Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capacit ...
*
Kei truck
References
{{Automobile configuration
Euro car segments