Compact executive car
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A compact executive car, also known as a compact luxury car, is a premium car larger than a premium compact and smaller than an
executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and sm ...
. Compact executive car is a UK term and a part of the
D-segment The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category us ...
in the European car classification. An executive car generally needs to be comfortable and well-equipped while also being cheap to run as a company car. They may have performance features and are often viewed as status symbols. A high percentage of the "executive cars" market share consists of corporate-owned cars, or vehicles provided by a firm for the business and sometimes private use by employees.


Cars related to the term by country


United States

The "compact executive car" description is not often used in the United States, but it describes certain models imported from Europe. The Cadillac ATS has been described as a compact executive car. The ATS was succeeded by the Cadillac CT4. Before the ATS, a heavily badge engineered version of the Saab 9-3 was sold in Europe as the Cadillac BLS (2005–2009). The BLS was both developed and manufactured by Saab in Trollhättan,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
. The model was never sold in the Northern American market. Cadillac's previous attempt at a compact executive car for the US market was the Cimarron manufactured in between 1981–1988. The Cimarron is largely consider to be a market failure and also at least partially responsible for the market struggles that Cadillac faced during and after its production.


United Kingdom

The 1971
Triumph Dolomite The Triumph Dolomite small saloon car was produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980. Background The Dolomite was the final addition to Triumph's ...
is an early compact executive car. Jaguar's first compact executive car (although larger than the 1960s'
Jaguar Mark 2 The Jaguar Mark 2 is a mid-sized luxury sports saloon built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 are identified as Mark 1 Jaguars.Eric Dymock, The ...
) was the 2001 Jaguar X-Type. Sales, however, were disappointing. The X-type was replaced by the Jaguar XE in 2014, competing in the same sector.


Italy

Alfa Romeo's models 75 and 155 are considered compact executive cars in the United Kingdom. The 1996
Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 (Type 932) is a compact executive car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It was introduced at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155. The 156 received a positive rec ...
has been classified as such. This was followed by the Alfa Romeo 159 and then the Giulia (Type 952). An early compact executive car from Lancia is the 1972 Lancia Beta (Type 828). The Beta morphed into the Lancia Trevi, which was produced from 1980 to 1984. Following an absence from the segment for five years, Lancia returned in 1989 when the Lancia Dedra replaced the smaller
Lancia Prisma The Lancia Prisma (''Tipo 831'') was a small family car built by Italian car manufacturer Lancia between 1982 and 1989. It was a saloon version of the first generation Lancia Delta hatchback, and like the Delta it was designed by Giorgetto Giug ...
. The Dedra was replaced by the Lancia Lybra, which was produced from 1998 to 2005.


Germany

An early compact executive car produced in Germany was the 1966 BMW 02 Series, followed by the BMW 3 Series in 1975. In 1965
Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. ...
introduced their first compact executive model Audi 72. The 1983 Mercedes-Benz W201 range (also known as the "Mercedes-Benz 190") was the first compact executive car from Mercedes-Benz. In 1993, the W201 was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class range.


France

DS Automobiles offers a compact executive with its DS 4 hatchback. From earlier models also the larger DS 5 (sold until 2018) could be considered a compact executive car. The DS brand used to be a sub-marque of
Citroën Citroën () is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded in March 1919 by André Citroën. Citroën is owned by Stellantis since 2021 and previously was part of the PSA Group after Peugeot acquired 8 ...
, and thus earlier model years (before 2015 for the DS 4 and DS 5, but the change depends on the model) carry the Citroën logo. The smallest model offered by DS has been the
DS 3 The DS 3 (formerly known as Citroën DS3 and DS 3 Crossback) is a luxury supermini initially produced by the French automobile manufacturer Citroën and officially launched in January 2010. This was the first and entry-level model from the DS ...
(sold until 2019), which could be condired to be a subcompact or even
supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent ...
executive car. The current DS 3 Crossback differs from the earlier model substantially, as it is a small
crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...
.


Sweden

The
Volvo S60 The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
as well as its estate version Volvo V60 are considered to be compact executive cars.
Saab Automobile Saab Automobile AB () is a defunct car manufacturer that was founded in Sweden in 1945 when its parent company, Saab AB, began a project to design a small automobile. The first production model, the Saab 92, was launched in 1949. In 1968 the p ...
, which went defunct in 2016, had the 9-3 -model which was a compact executive car. Based on heavily modified GM engines and platforms, the 9-3 was available as a convertable,
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. ...
(first generation), sedan (second generation) and
station wagon A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
(second generation). The 9-3 had a wide variety of both petrol and diesel engine options. Most of the petrol engines were
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...
and supported the use of
ethanol fuel Ethanol fuel is ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, used as fuel. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. The first production car running entirely on ethanol was t ...
, which were both relatively uncommon features for a mass production car in the 00's. The 9-3 also had high emphasis on car safety, which was a high priority in the design of all Saab cars. Also the previous Saab 99 and Saab 900 could be considered as compact executive cars at some markets, while especially in
Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54°N, or may be based on other geographical factors ...
these models were more commonly seen as ordinary small family cars.


Japan

An early compact executive car produced in Japan was the 1988 Mazda Persona / Eunos 300. The first Japanese compact executive car to be successful in overseas markets is the 1998 Lexus IS / Toyota Altezza. Other Japanese compact executive cars include the Infiniti Q50 (by Nissan), Acura TLX (by Honda) and Mazda Xedos 6.


South Korea

Compact executive cars produced in South Korea include the Genesis G70.


Subcompact executive cars

Subcompact executive cars, also called premium compacts, is the category of the smallest premium cars. It is part of the
C-segment 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. In 2011, the C- ...
in the European car classification. Examples include the
Mercedes-Benz A-Class The Mercedes-Benz A-Class is a subcompact car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz as the brand's entry-level vehicle. The first generation (internally coded W168) was introduced in 1997, the second generation (W169) i ...
and CLA-Class, Audi A3, Volvo S40, BMW 1 Series, and 2 Series. Premium compacts compete with well-equipped mid-size cars, and highly optioned premium compact cars can have pricing and features that overlaps with compact executive cars.


See also

*
Compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However ...
* Luxury vehicle *
Mid-size car Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in ...
*
Sport compact Sport compact is an American car classification for a high-performance version of an affordable compact car or a subcompact car. There is no precise definition and the description is applied for marketing purposes to a wide variety of models. ...
*
Subcompact car Subcompact car is a North American 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 U.S. Environmental Pr ...
*
Supermini The B-segment is the second smallest of the European segments for passenger cars between the A-segment and C-segment, and commonly described as "small cars". The B-segment is the largest segment in Europe by volume, accounting for 20 percent ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compact Executive Car Car classifications