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Family Car

 
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Family car
 
 
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A family car is a car classification
Car classification

Car classification is subjectivity since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any. Not all car types are common in all countries and names for the same vehicle can differ by region....
 used in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 to describe normally-sized cars. The name refers to the fact that these cars are suitable for a family
Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by a common ancestry, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," some cultural anthropology have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts r...
 to go shopping
Shopping

Shopping is the examining of goods or Service from retailers with intent to Trade at that time. Shopping is the activity of selection and/or purchase....
 or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchback
Hatchback

Hatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window....
s or saloons, although there are MPVs, estates
Station wagon

A station wagon in American English, Australian English, Canadian English and New Zealand English usage and an estate car in British English usage, is a passenger automobile with a car body style similar to a sedan but with the roofline following the full, sometimes extended rear cargo area, i.e. ending with a more vertical door...
 and cabriolets with the same structure as with the other body style. The term covers two types of family cars.

ent small family cars are between 4.20 m and 4.35 m long if they are hatchbacks, or between 4.40 m and 4.55 m if they are saloon or estate models.






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Encyclopedia


A family car is a car classification
Car classification

Car classification is subjectivity since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any. Not all car types are common in all countries and names for the same vehicle can differ by region....
 used in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 to describe normally-sized cars. The name refers to the fact that these cars are suitable for a family
Family

Family denotes a group of people affiliated by a common ancestry, affinity or co-residence. Although the concept of consanguinity originally referred to relations by "blood," some cultural anthropology have argued that one must understand the idea of "blood" metaphorically, and that many societies understand 'family' through other concepts r...
 to go shopping
Shopping

Shopping is the examining of goods or Service from retailers with intent to Trade at that time. Shopping is the activity of selection and/or purchase....
 or on vacations. Most family cars are hatchback
Hatchback

Hatchback is a term designating an automobile design, containing a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind the vehicle by a single, top-hinged tailgate or large flip-up window....
s or saloons, although there are MPVs, estates
Station wagon

A station wagon in American English, Australian English, Canadian English and New Zealand English usage and an estate car in British English usage, is a passenger automobile with a car body style similar to a sedan but with the roofline following the full, sometimes extended rear cargo area, i.e. ending with a more vertical door...
 and cabriolets with the same structure as with the other body style. The term covers two types of family cars.

Small family cars

2000
Current small family cars are between 4.20 m and 4.35 m long if they are hatchbacks, or between 4.40 m and 4.55 m if they are saloon or estate models. Since the 1990s there have been multi-purpose vehicle based on them, called compact MPV
Compact MPV

A Compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars , fitting between the mini MPV and large MPV sub-segments....
s. Popular small family cars are the Ford Focus
Ford Focus (international)

The Ford Focus is a small family car made by Ford Motor Company and sold in most Ford markets worldwide. It was launched in 1998 in Europe and 2002 in Australia....
, Opel Astra
Opel Astra

The Opel Astra is a small family car designed and manufactured by Opel, the European subsidiary of General Motors.It is branded as an Opel in continental Europe, the Republic of Ireland, the Middle East, North Africa, Russia and South Africa, as Vauxhall Motors in the United Kingdom, as Holden in Australasia, as Chevrolet in Latin America a...
, Peugeot 307
Peugeot 307

The Peugeot 307 is a family car produced by the France Peugeot manufacturer since 2001. It was awarded the European Car of the Year title for 2002, and continues in production as of 2008 despite the launch of the Peugeot 308 in September 2007....
, Renault Mégane
Renault Mégane

The Renault M?gane is a small family car produced by the France automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, Saloon , coup?, convertible and station wagon bodystyles....
 and Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf

The 'Volkswagen Golf' is a compact car / small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates -- prominently as the 'Volkswagen Rabbit' in the United States and Canada , and as the 'Volkswagen Caribe' in Mexico ....
.

In North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, which uses a different classification system, cars of this size are generally referred to as compact car
Compact car

A compact , small family or c-segment car is a car classification of automobile which are larger than a supermini car and smaller than a large family car....
s, and the term "family car" is almost never used to describe a vehicle in this class.

Large family cars


Large family cars were usually around 4.50 m in length by the early 1990s, but are now shifting to 4.70 m or more in length. Examples of large family cars include the Ford Mondeo
Ford Mondeo

The Ford Mondeo is a large family car sold by the Ford Motor Company in various markets throughout the world. The name "Mondeo" derives from the Latin word mundus, meaning "world"....
, Opel Vectra
Opel Vectra

The Opel Vectra is a large family car produced primarily by Opel, the Germany subsidiary of GM Europe . In the United Kingdom, it is sold under the Vauxhall Motors marque as Vauxhall Vectra ....
, Renault Laguna
Renault Laguna

The Renault Laguna is a large family car produced by the France manufacturer Renault. The first Laguna was launched in 1993, the second generation was launched in 2000, and the third generation was made available for sale in October 2007....
, and the Volkswagen Passat
Volkswagen Passat

The Volkswagen Passat is a family car built by Volkswagen through six design generations since 1973. Falling between the Volkswagen Golf/Volkswagen Jetta and Volkswagen Phaeton in the current Volkswagen line-up, the Passat has been badged variously as Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Magotan, Corsar and Carat....
.

Equivalently sized cars in North America are usually called mid-size car
Mid-size car

A mid-size car is the North American and Australian term for an automobile with a size between that of a Compact car and a full-size car. In Europe, cars of a similar size are often referred to as large family cars, or executive cars....
s; the term "family car" is fairly often used to refer to a vehicle in this class. Examples include the Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Malibu

The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car produced in the United States by General Motors. It is marketed in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Middle East....
 and the Buick LaCrosse
Buick LaCrosse

The Buick LaCrosse is a mid-size car produced by the Buick division of United States automaker General Motors since 2004 as the 2005 model year....
.

See also

  • Car classification
    Car classification

    Car classification is subjectivity since many vehicles fall into multiple categories or do not fit well into any. Not all car types are common in all countries and names for the same vehicle can differ by region....
  • Vehicle size class
    Vehicle size class

    Vehicle size classes are a way of classifying cars. The common North American parlance is word-based, while English-speaking European writers also use words to describe car sizes....