The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
. 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 capaci ...
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 n ...
.
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
The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles.
Launc ...
,
Toyota Aygo,
Renault Twingo
The Renault Twingo is a four-seater passenger city car manufactured and marketed by the French auto-maker Renault, introduced in 1992 and currently in its third generation.
The first generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at the P ...
,
Volkswagen Up!,
Hyundai i10,
Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is a city car that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning ( ko, 기아 모닝, translit=Gia Moning) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generat ...
,
Peugeot 108
The Peugeot 108 is a city car launched by French manufacturer Peugeot in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 108 is related to the Citroën C1 and Toyota Aygo, and shares their floorpan
The floorpan is a large sheet metal stamping that o ...
,
Citroën C1
The Citroën C1 is a city car marketed by Citroën from June 2005 to January 2022, originally developed as part of the B-Zero project by PSA Peugeot Citroën in a joint venture with Toyota, with two generations produced.
The C1 was developed a ...
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 intermediate ...
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
The Renault Twingo is a four-seater passenger city car manufactured and marketed by the French auto-maker Renault, introduced in 1992 and currently in its third generation.
The first generation Twingo (two door, front engine) debuted at the P ...
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
The Kia Picanto is a city car that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning ( ko, 기아 모닝, translit=Gia Moning) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generat ...
3rd generation (2017–present)
Made in Russia
File:2018 Peugeot 108 Collection 1.0 Front (1).jpg, Peugeot 108
The Peugeot 108 is a city car launched by French manufacturer Peugeot in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 108 is related to the Citroën C1 and Toyota Aygo, and shares their floorpan
The floorpan is a large sheet metal stamping that o ...
2nd generation (2014–2021)
Made in Czech Republic
File:2017 Citroen C1 Flair Puretech 1.2 Front.jpg, Citroën C1
The Citroën C1 is a city car marketed by Citroën from June 2005 to January 2022, originally developed as part of the B-Zero project by PSA Peugeot Citroën in a joint venture with Toyota, with two generations produced.
The C1 was developed a ...
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, Škoda 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
The Chevrolet Spark ( ko, 쉐보레 스파크, translit=) is a city car manufactured by General Motors's subsidiary GM Korea from 1998 to 2022. The vehicle was initially developed by Daewoo and was introduced in 1998 as the Daewoo Matiz ( ko, 대 ...
,
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,
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 C ...
,
Kia Picanto
The Kia Picanto is a city car that has been produced by the South Korean car manufacturer, Kia, since 2003. Other names of the car include Kia Morning ( ko, 기아 모닝, translit=Gia Moning) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan (first two generat ...
,
Toyota Wigo
The Daihatsu Ayla is a city car designed by Daihatsu and manufactured by Astra Daihatsu Motor in Indonesia, primarily developed for emerging markets. The Ayla is sold by Toyota as the Toyota Agya in Indonesia, South Africa, Tunisia, Americas (e ...
,
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
The Ford Figo is a subcompact hatchback manufactured by Ford India in its Chennai and Sanand plants. Based on the Mark V European Ford Fiesta hatchback, the Figo has been sold in emerging countries between March 2010 and 2021.
First generation ...
,
Smart ForTwo,
Citroën C1
The Citroën C1 is a city car marketed by Citroën from June 2005 to January 2022, originally developed as part of the B-Zero project by PSA Peugeot Citroën in a joint venture with Toyota, with two generations produced.
The C1 was developed a ...
,
Peugeot 108
The Peugeot 108 is a city car launched by French manufacturer Peugeot in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show. The 108 is related to the Citroën C1 and Toyota Aygo, and shares their floorpan
The floorpan is a large sheet metal stamping that o ...
, and modern
Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles.
Launc ...
.
See also
*
B-segment
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 of ...
*
Euro Car Segment Excepting those of the Europe-wide safety assessment programme Euro NCAP, vehicle segments in Europe do not have formal characterization or regulations. Although the definition is vague, there is little overlap between segments A–F based on weight ...
*
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 – Type ...
*
Vehicle size class
Vehicle size classes are series of ratings assigned to different segments of automotive vehicles for the purposes of vehicle emissions control and fuel economy calculation. Various methods are used to classify vehicles; in North America, passe ...
*
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
Economy car is a term mostly used in the United States for cars designed for low-cost purchase and operation. Typical economy cars are small (compact or subcompact), lightweight, and inexpensive to both produce and purchase. Stringent design const ...
*
Microcar
Microcar is a term often used for the smallest size of cars, with three or four wheels and often an engine smaller than . Specific types of microcars include bubble cars, cycle cars, invacar, quadricycles and voiturettes. Microcars are oft ...
*
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 capaci ...
*
Kei truck
A kei truck, kei-class truck, or Japanese mini truck is a mini truck, a tiny but practical pickup truck available in rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive versions, built to satisfy the Japanese '' keijidōsha'' (軽自動車, "light vehicle") st ...
References
{{Automobile configuration
Euro car segments