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Subcompact car
 
 
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A subcompact car is an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 in a 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....
n 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....
, encompassing vehicles smaller than 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. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an List of United States federal agencies of the federal government of the United States charged to Regulation of chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land....
 (EPA), a passenger car is classified as subcompact if it has between and of interior volume. Many contemporary subcompacts sold in North America fall into the supermini
Supermini car

A supermini is a British car classification term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as Subcompact in North America....
 category (as defined by Euro NCAP) in Europe.

In North America, this type of car was first seen in the 1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan
Nash Metropolitan

The Nash Metropolitan is a car that was sold from 1954 to 1962.It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In today?s terminology the Metropolitan is a ?subcompact?, but this category had not yet come into use when the car was made....
 and a number of imported models, notably the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Type 1 is an economy car produced by the Germany auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. The car was originally known as K?fer, the German language word for "beetle," from which the popular English nickname originates....
 and various small British cars.






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1974 Gremlin
A subcompact car is an automobile
Automobile

An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transportation passengers, which also carries its own car engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally f...
 in a 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....
n 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....
, encompassing vehicles smaller than 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. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an List of United States federal agencies of the federal government of the United States charged to Regulation of chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land....
 (EPA), a passenger car is classified as subcompact if it has between and of interior volume. Many contemporary subcompacts sold in North America fall into the supermini
Supermini car

A supermini is a British car classification term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as Subcompact in North America....
 category (as defined by Euro NCAP) in Europe.

In North America, this type of car was first seen in the 1950s with the introduction of the Nash Metropolitan
Nash Metropolitan

The Nash Metropolitan is a car that was sold from 1954 to 1962.It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In today?s terminology the Metropolitan is a ?subcompact?, but this category had not yet come into use when the car was made....
 and a number of imported models, notably the Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Type 1 is an economy car produced by the Germany auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003. The car was originally known as K?fer, the German language word for "beetle," from which the popular English nickname originates....
 and various small British cars. The subcompact did not see wide adoption until the 1970s with the introduction of the Chevrolet Vega
Chevrolet Vega

File:71 Vega Panel Express.jpgThe Chevrolet Vega is a four passenger subcompact car that was introduced September 10, 1970 and produced for the 1971 through 1977 model years....
, Ford Pinto
Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto was a subcompact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for the North American market, first introduced on September 11, 1970, and built through the 1980 model year....
 and AMC Gremlin
AMC Gremlin

The AMC Gremlin is a subcompact car that was made by the American Motors Corporation for nine model years. During its manufacturing run from April 1970 through 1978, a total of 671,475 Gremlins were built in the United States and Canada....
 that were produced by American automakers in response to the growing popularity of small imported cars especially from Volkswagen
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, also known as VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany and is the original as well as the largest brand by sales volume within the Volkswagen Group....
, Nissan-Datsun, and Toyota.

, numerous models of subcompacts are sold, including the Toyota Yaris
Toyota Yaris

The Toyota Yaris brand is used to refer to non-japanese versions of:*Toyota Vitz, hatchback sold as the Toyota Yaris in South Africa, Europe, South America, and later in Australia and North America and Jamaica...
, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit
Honda Fit

The Honda Fit is a five-door hatchback subcompact car, manufactured by the Honda Motor Company of Japan, first introduced in June 2001 and now in its second generation....
, Scion xD
Scion xD

The Scion xD is a five-door hatchback subcompact car marketed in the US by Japanese automaker Toyota beginning with the 2008 model year — replacing the Scion xA....
, Chevrolet Aveo, Kia Rio
Kia Rio

The Kia Rio is a subcompact car produced by the South Korean automaker Kia Motors and introduced in August 2000 for the 2001 model year. In the company's lineup, it replaced the smaller Kia Pride, which ceased production in 2000....
, and Hyundai Accent
Hyundai Accent

The Hyundai Accent is a small family car produced by Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea, India, Russia, Turkey, and Iran.The Accent is produced for the People's Republic of China market by Beijing Hyundai Co., a joint venture with Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corporation....
.

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....
  • Mini SUV
    Mini SUV

    Mini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length under . This class should not be confused with compact SUV, which refers to slightly larger vehicles, from ....
  • Supermini car
    Supermini car

    A supermini is a British car classification term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as Subcompact in North America....
  • 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....


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