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, before the downsizing of the United States car industry in the 1970s and 1980s, larger vehicles with wheelbases up to 110 in (2.79 m) were considered "compact cars" in the United States.
32-589: The Aeolus AX5 is a compact CUV produced by Dongfeng Motor Corporation under the Aeolus sub-brand. The Aeolus AX5 CUV debuted during the 2016 Beijing Auto Show with the AX5 being available to the market in late 2016 at the Guangzhou Auto Show . The AX5 is powered by a 1.4 liter turbo inline-four engine producing 140 horsepower (103kW) and 196 N-m. Prices range from 89,700 yuan to 128,700 yuan. The AX5 received
64-609: A "compact car" target that was larger than what has become known as the "light car" or the kei car . One of the first compact cars that met those requirements was the Toyota Publica with an air-cooled two-cylinder opposed engine, the Datsun 110 series , and the Mitsubishi 500 . The Publica and the Mitsubishi 500 were essentially "kei cars" with engines larger than regulations permitted at
96-429: A 5-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed DCT. Compact car In Japan, small size passenger vehicle is a registration category that sits between kei cars and regular cars, based on overall size and engine displacement limits. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on
128-585: A booming vehicle segment by the 1980s as an alternative to station wagons. The four-door station wagons of the mid-sized Chevrolet Chevelle line were renamed for the 1969 model year. The base-trim Chevelle 300 was renamed Nomad , while the medium-trim Chevelle 300 Deluxe was changed to Greenbrier. The top-of-the-line station wagon model of the Chevelle Malibu 135/136 became the Concours and Concours Estate Wagon. A newly introduced two-way tailgate came standard on
160-468: A facelift in 2019 and was revealed during the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show . The facelifted AX5 model features a front fascia similar to the Dongfeng Fengdu MX3 crossover from the same platform that never made it to the market. The facelifted AX5 is equipped with a DFMA14T 1.4 liter turbo engine producing 133 horsepower which is 7 horsepower less than the pre facelift model. The engine is mated to either
192-512: A license plate number beginning with "5". In the past, the small size category has received tax benefits stipulated by the Japanese government regulations , such as those in the 1951 Road Vehicle Act . In 1955, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry set forth a goal to all Japanese makers at that time to create what was called a "national car". The concept stipulated that
224-467: A more conventional water-cooled engine mounted between the front seats. As these became successful, General Motors responded with its design, which placed the Chevy II sourced engine in a "doghouse" between and behind the front seats. The forward engine design allowed a flat floor with lower deck in the rear of the vehicle for loading and unloading cargo. General Motors stopped producing the truck versions of
256-745: A new market segment and the U.S. automobile industry soon adopted the "compact" term. Several competitors to the Nash Rambler arose from the ranks of America's other independent automakers, although none enjoyed the long-term success of the Rambler. Other early compact cars included the Kaiser-Frazer Henry J (also re-badged as the Allstate ), the Willys Aero and the Hudson Jet . In 1954, 64,500 cars sold in
288-549: A ramp hinged at the bottom of the cargo bay area on the right side of the vehicle. Rubber trim on the edge helped avoid scratching the paint when the ramp was lowered for loading and unloading cargo. These were used by the Bell Telephone Company because loading and unloading of cable drums was eased by the side ramp. Ford and Chrysler introduced compact vans of their own (the Ford Econoline and Dodge A100 ), using
320-681: The Recession of 1958 , the only exception to the sales decline was American Motors with its compact, economy-oriented Ramblers that saw high demand among cautious consumers. By 1959, sales of small imported cars also increased to 14% of the U.S. passenger car market, as consumers turned to compact cars. By this time, smaller cars appealed to people with a college education and a higher income whose families were buying more than one car. Customers expected compact cars to provide improved fuel economy compared to full-sized cars while maintaining headroom, legroom, and plenty of trunk space. Between 1958 and 1960,
352-466: The "small Ford" and produced the Ford Vedette . The first U.S.-produced postwar compact car was the 1950 Nash Rambler . It was built on a 100-inch (2,540 mm) wheelbase, which was nonetheless still a large car by contemporary European standards. The term "compact" was coined by a Nash executive as a euphemism for small cars with a wheelbase of 110 inches (2,794 mm) or less. It established
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#1733086324116384-791: The 1980s that American cars were being downsized to truly international dimensions. In the 1985 model year, compact cars classified by the EPA included Ford's Escort and Tempo as well as the Chevrolet Cavalier. For the 2019 model year, the best sellers were the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. In Japan, vehicles that are larger than kei cars , but with dimensions smaller than 4,700 mm (185.0 in) long, 1,700 mm (66.9 in) wide, 2,000 mm (78.7 in) high and with engines at or under 2,000 cc (120 cu in) are classified as "small size" cars. Small-size cars are identified by
416-465: The Concours. The Estate model added simulated exterior woodgrain trim. Station wagons were available with a third-row seat except for the base Nomad line (only available in a six-seater form). The standard engine for all models was an inline-six, but not available with the optional three-row seats. For the 1970 model year, the Chevelle 300 Deluxe series was renamed to Chevelle, and the inline-six engine
448-468: The Corvair Greenbrier had a 95 in (2,413 mm) wheelbase, thus known as "95s." They came standard with a three-speed manual transmission . Optional was a two-speed Corvair Powerglide automatic transmission that was different from the usual Powerglide ). Chevrolet eventually made available a four-speed manual transmission. Two different bodies were available in the 95 series: the van and
480-533: The Corvair in 1964, and the Greenbrier was the only remaining 95 in (2,413 mm) wheelbase Corvair for 1965. Eventually, Chevrolet and Volkswagen would abandon rear-engined vans in favor of conventional or front-wheel-drive water-cooled engines. Although Greenbriers were unsuccessful in the marketplace, passenger vans continued to evolve through full-sized vans. The similarly sized 7–8 passenger minivan would become
512-419: The Corvair powertrain in a truck body. Production of these vans was from 1961 until 1965. The Greenbrier name was used again as a model name for mid-trim level Chevelle conventional station wagon from 1969 until 1972. Chevrolet introduced the Corvair lineup for the 1960 model year as the first of a series of generations of passenger compact cars . Chevrolet introduced a more utilitarian style of vehicle
544-635: The Honda City, Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla Altis 1.6, and the Changan Alsvin. Chevrolet Greenbrier Chevrolet used the name Chevrolet Greenbrier for two distinct vehicles. The first was a six-to-nine-passenger window van version of the Corvair "95" panel van . The Corvair 95 series also included the Loadside and Rampside pickup trucks, featuring a mid-body ramp on the right side. These variants used
576-407: The U.S. were imports or small American cars, out of a total market of five million cars. Market research indicated that five percent of those surveyed said they would consider a small car, suggesting a potential market size of 275,000 cars. By 1955, the Nash Rambler that began as a convertible model became a success and was now available in station wagon , hardtop , and sedan body styles. During
608-807: The beginning of a downsizing of all vehicles so that cars such as the AMC Concord and the Ford Fairmont that replaced the compacts were re-classified as mid-size, while cars inheriting the size of the Ford Pinto and Chevrolet Vega (such as the Ford Escort and Chevrolet Cavalier ) became classified as compact cars. Even after the reclassification, mid-size American cars were still far larger than mid-size cars from other countries and were more similar in size to cars classified as "large cars" in Europe. It would not be until
640-432: The cargo bed from the rear over the engine compartment. The bed included a metal panel that could be unscrewed to access the engine for major service. The cargo bay area between the engine compartment and the rear of the cab could be covered with a deck to form a level surface with the top of the engine compartment. The Loadside was produced during two model years with 2,844 made in 1961 and 369 built in 1962. The Rampside had
672-564: The combined passenger and cargo volume, compact cars are defined as having an interior volume index of 100–109 cu ft (2.8–3.1 m ). The beginnings of U.S. production of compact cars were the late 1940s prototypes of economy cars, including the Chevrolet Cadet and the Ford Light Car. Neither car reached production in the U.S., however Ford SAF in France bought the plans of
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#1733086324116704-468: The following year under the model designation "Corvair 95". In appearance and design, the cars were similar to the competing Volkswagen Transporter , which was essentially a bus-like adaptation of the Volkswagen Beetle that moved the driver over the front wheels, known as forward control or cab-over . The air-cooled horizontally opposed Chevrolet Turbo-Air 6 engine was located in the rear of
736-518: The major U.S. car manufacturers made a push toward compact cars, resulting in the introduction of the Studebaker Lark , Chevrolet Corvair , Ford Falcon , and Plymouth Valiant . These models also gave rise to compact vans built on the compact car platforms, such as the Studebaker Zip Van, Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier , Ford Econoline , and Dodge A100 . During the 1960s, compacts were
768-679: The passenger and cargo compartments were introduced in the late 1970s. In the early 1970s, the domestic automakers introduced even smaller subcompact cars that included the AMC Gremlin , Chevrolet Vega , and Ford Pinto . In 1973, the Energy Crisis started, which made small fuel-efficient cars more desirable, and the North American driver began exchanging their large cars for the smaller, imported compacts that cost less to fill up and were inexpensive to maintain. The 1977 model year marked
800-630: The popular Volkswagen Beetle . Compact cars were also the basis for a new small car segment that became known as the pony car , named after the Ford Mustang , which was built on the Falcon chassis. At that time, there was a distinct difference in size between compact and full-size models. Early definitions of vehicle size class were based on wheelbase, with models under 111 inches as compact, 111 to 118 inches intermediate, and over 118 inches as full size, at least until EPA classes based on interior volume of
832-538: The smallest class of North American cars, but they had evolved into only slightly smaller versions of the 6-cylinder or V8-powered six-passenger sedan. They were much larger than compacts (and sometimes even mid-sizers) by European manufacturers, which were typically five-passenger four-cylinder engine cars. Nevertheless, advertising and road tests for the Ford Maverick and the Rambler American made comparisons with
864-807: The time, while the Datsun was an all-new vehicle. These vehicles were followed by the Hino Contessa in 1961, the Isuzu Bellett , Daihatsu Compagno and Mazda Familia in 1963, the Mitsubishi Colt in 1965, and the Nissan Sunny , Subaru 1000 , and Toyota Corolla in 1966. Honda introduced its first four-door sedan in 1969, called the Honda 1300 . In North America, these cars were classified as subcompact cars . By 1970, Nissan released its first front-wheel-drive car which
896-439: The truck. The base version was the panel van (Corvan) with no side or rear windows. The van was named Greenbrier. The Greenbrier version usually had windows all around and six doors, However, an option offered a total of eight doors that included rear center opening double doors on both sides of the vehicle. The Greenbrier seated nine people with the available third-row seat. The 95s and cars had an optional heater using gasoline from
928-399: The vehicle be able to maintain a maximum speed over 100 km/h (62 mph), weigh below 400 kg (882 lbs), fuel consumption at 30 km/L (85 mpg ‑imp ; 71 mpg ‑US ) or more, at an average speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) on a level road, and not require maintenance or significant service for at least 100,000 km (62,000 mi). This established
960-466: The vehicle under a slightly raised cargo floor. It was similar in principle to the 4-cylinder engine of the Volkswagen, but unusual for most contemporary cars. The 145 cu in (2,375 cc) engine developed 80 hp (60 kW) at 4,400 rpm. Engine size was increased to 164 cu in (2,683 cc) for the 1964 model year, raising output to 95 hp (71 kW). Unlike the Corvair cars,
992-421: The vehicle's tank. Chevrolet made camper kits as a dealer-installed package for the Greenbrier vans. These included a bed that covered the rear-mounted engine as well as various kitchen, cabinet, and table layouts that changed by model year. An example was the 1961 kit for $ 485. A Corvair 95 truck was available as a "Loadside" or "Rampside". The Loadside was a pickup truck with a standard tailgate for accessing
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1024-598: Was originally developed by Prince Motor Company which had merged with Nissan in 1966. This was introduced in 1970 as the Nissan Cherry . In 1972, the Honda Civic appeared with the CVCC engine that was able to meet California emission standards without the use of a catalytic converter . In Pakistan, the concept of compact cars is significant. The most common cars tend to be Kei cars . Popular compact cars in recent times are
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