Sport compact is a United States marketing

classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...

for a high-performance version of a

compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact, a type of agreement used by U.S. states * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a t ...

or a

subcompact car Subcompact car is a North American Car classification, classification for cars smaller than a compact car. It is broadly equivalent to the B-segment (Europe), supermini (Great Britain) or A0-class (China) classifications. According to the Unite ...

. There is no precise definition, and the description is applied to various models for promotional purposes. Cars began to be marketed as sport compacts in the mid-1980s to describe the option packages on American-built coupes. Since then, it has also been used for standalone sports car models and cars imported from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. The European equivalent is a hot hatch. However, sport compacts are not limited to hatchback body styles. __TOC__

Characteristics

A sports compact should "fulfill the multiple duties of a family car, plaything, and daily driver". Many sports compacts have coupe, sedan, or hatchback body styles built on mass-production platforms. Other common (but not essential) characteristics include front-wheel or

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. Types The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflects one axle with ...

, a four-cylinder internal-combustion engine, suspension tuned for handling, and bodywork designed to improve aerodynamics or allow for larger wheels. "Econosport" is a rarely used term for a sports version of a small economy car.

History

An early sport compact was the 1968 Ford Capri, a European coupe built on the platform of the second-generation Ford Cortina sedans. The early American-built sport compact models contained optional performance or sporting packages for mass-produced compact coupes in the 1980s. Examples include the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier Z24, the 1986

Ford EXP The Ford EXP (also called Ford Escort EXP) is a sports compact coupe that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company from 1982 to 1988, across two generations. The first two-seat Ford since the original Ford Thunderbird, the EXP was der ...

Sport Coupe, the 1987 Renault Alliance GTA, and the 1988 Plymouth Sundance. These models achieved moderate sales. Sport compact models gained greater prominence by the mid-1990s, sold in significant numbers in models such as the 1993 Ford Probe (based on the Mazda MX-6 platform), and the 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier/

Pontiac Sunfire The Pontiac Sunfire is a compact car by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac that was introduced for the 1995 model year to replace the Pontiac Sunbird, Sunbird. Not only was the name changed, but dramatic styling changes were included as well. The new s ...

badge-engineered twins. Sports compacts of the 2000s include the 2001-2003 Ford ZX2, the 2004-2007 Saturn Ion Red Line, the 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt SS, and the 2003-2005 Dodge Neon SRT-4. European hot hatches are considered 'sport compact' cars in the North American market. Examples include the 1976-present

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/ small family car ( C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplate ...

GTI and the 2000-present

Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...

Cooper. Similarly, most Japanese hot hatches and sports coupes are classified as 'sport compact' cars when sold in North America, for example, the 1984-present Honda Civic Si, 2007-2013

Mazdaspeed3 The Mazdaspeed3 is a sport compact hatchback introduced for the 2007 model year by Mazdaspeed and produced until 2013. The Mazdaspeed3 is a performance-enhanced version of the 5-door Mazda3. Mazda unveiled the Mazda3 MPS (Mazda Performance Ser ...

, and the 2012-present

Toyota 86 The Toyota 86 and the Subaru BRZ are 2+2 sports cars jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru, manufactured at Subaru's Gunma assembly plant. The 2+2 fastback coupé has a naturally aspirated boxer engine, front-engined, rear-wheel-drive ...

Models

Motorsport

Sport compact cars are often used in motorsport events because they are relatively lightweight. They are used to compete in various types of motorsport, including

autocross Autocross is a form of motorsport in which competitors are timed to complete a short course using automobiles on a dirt or grass surface, excepting where sealed surfaces are used in United States. Rules vary according to the governing or sanctioni ...

rallying Rallying is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (sometimes called "rally racing" in United States), navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed ...

rallycross Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...

touring car racing Touring car racing is a motorsport road racing competition that uses race-prepared touring cars. It has both similarities to and significant differences from stock car racing, which is popular in the United States. While the cars do not move a ...

, drifting, and

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

. From 2005 through 2012, the International Sport Compact Auto Racing Series was an American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

series for sports compacts that mostly raced on paved oval racetracks.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sport Compact Car classifications

Characteristics

History

Models

Motorsport

See also

References