car classification

第六组：（刘佩、方利敏、李宁、张华、刘冀帆） 整理材料+翻译：刘佩、方利敏

Car Classification Vehicles can be categorized in numerous ways. For example, a government may establish a vehicle classification system for determining a tax amount. In the United Kingdom, a vehicle is taxed according to the vehicle's construction, engine, weight, type of fuel and emissions, as well as the purpose for which it is used. Other jurisdictions may determine vehicle tax based upon environmental principles, such as the user pays principle. In another example, certain cities in the United States in the 1920s chose to exempt electric-powered vehicles because officials believed those vehicles did not cause "substantial wear upon the pavements".

1. Microcar A microcar is the smallest automobile classification, usually applied to very small cars (smaller than city cars). Such small cars were generally referred to as cyclecars until the 1940s. More recent models are also called bubble cars due to their bubble-shaped appearance. Straddling the boundary between car and motorbike, these vehicles have engines under 1.0 litre, typically seat only two passengers, and are sometimes unorthodox in construction. Some microcars are three-wheelers, while the majority have four wheels. Microcars were popular in post-war Europe, where their appearance led them to be called "Bubble cars". More recent microcars are often electric powered. Typical microcars usually have some of the following features:  seats only the driver and a single passenger  a 1 cylinder 49 – 500cc engine  1 wheel drive  simple suspensions  6″ - 8″ roadwheels Many, but not all, microcars are also:  Not fitted with a reverse gear  May have all gears operable in reverse as well as in forward gear such as the Messerschmitt KR200.

 Less than 3m in length  Less than 85 cubic feet/2400 litres interior volume. Examples of microcars:  Isetta  Tata Nano

2. Hatchbacks

2.1 Ultracompact car In 2012, Japan's Transport and Tourism Ministry will allow local government to use ultracompact cars as transport for residents and tourists in their limiting areas. The size of ultracompact cars will be less than minicars, but have engine greater than 50cc displacement and able to transport 1 or 2 persons. Ultracompact cars cannot use minicars standard, because of strict safety standards for minicars. The regulation about running capacity and safety performance of ultracompact cars will be published in early autumn. Today, there are cars smaller than ultracompact cars, called category-1 motorized vehicles which it has 50cc displacement or less and only one seat for the driver. 2.2 City car A city car is a small automobile intended for use in urban areas. Unlike microcars, a city car's greater speed, capacity and (in perception at least) occupant protection are safer in mixed traffic environments and weather conditions. While city cars can reach highway speeds, that is not their intended use. In Japan, city cars are called kei cars. Kei cars have to meet strict size and engine requirements: engines have a maximum displacement of 660 cc and the car's length must be under 3400 mm. Examples of kei cars:  Daihatsu Move  Honda Life  Suzuki Cervo Examples of city cars:

 Fiat Panda  Maruti 800  Mini Other small cars:

 Carver One  Citroën Type C  Smith Flyer 2.3 Supermini/subcompact car

A subcompact car is the American term for an automobile with a class size smaller than a compact car, usually not exceeding 165 inches (4,191 mm) in length, but larger than a microcar. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a passenger car is classified as subcompact if it has between 85 cubic feet (2,407 L) and 99 cu ft (2,803 L) of interior volume. The subcompact segment equates roughly to A-segment and B-segment in Europe, or city car and supermini in British terminology. In 2012, the New York Times described the differences, saying "today’s small cars actually span three main segments in the global vehicle market. The tiny A-segment cars include the Chevrolet Spark and Smart Fortwo. They’re extremely short and very light. Slightly larger are B-segment cars like the Ford Fiesta and Chevrolet Sonic. This class is known as supermini in Europe, subcompact in North America. Superminis have three, four or five doors and are designed to seat four passengers comfortably. Current supermini hatchbacks are approximately 3900 mm long, while saloons and estate cars are around 4200 mm long. Currently (2013) sedan variants are generally not available in Europe and are marketed at a lower price than hatchback models in North America. In Europe, the first superminis were the Fiat 500 of 1957 and the Austin Mini of 1959. Today, superminis are some of the best selling vehicles in Europe. In Australia, the motoring press tends to distinguish between a light car such as the Daihatsu Charade or early models of the Holden Barina, and slightly larger models such as the Ford Fiesta which is considered to be a small car. As the general size of vehicles in this class has gradually increased, the category of light car has almost disappeared. Examples of superminis/subcompact cars:  Opel Corsa  Tata Indica Vista  Volkswagen Polo This category is equivalent to the EuroNCAP class "Superminis" 2.4 Small family car/compact car A compact car (North America), or small family car in British acceptation, is a classification of cars that are larger than asubcompact car but smaller than a mid-size car, equating roughly to the C-segment in Europe. This category is equivalent to the EuroNCAP class "Small Family Cars". In Australia, this class is generally referred to as being small-medium sized cars. Small family/compact cars refer to the hatchbacks and shortest saloons and estate cars with similar size. They are approximately 4250 mm long in case of hatchbacks and 4500 mm in the case of saloons and estate cars. Compact cars have room for five adults and usually have engines between 1.4 and 2.2 litres, but some have engines of up to 2.5 litres. Early compacts had V8 engines of up to 6.6 liters. These are the most popular vehicles in most developed countries. Examples of hatchback small family cars/compact cars:  Ford Focus  Peugeot 306  Toyota Auris