Know the Segments of Cars in India – All You Need To Know About Different Car Segments

Know the different car segments in India and understand in detail the car segment classification with examples.

India holds the position among the top five countries to have a heavy sale in automobiles. The statistics speak for it. Cars for some are necessities and for some, they are a luxury, in both cases cars serve the purpose of a living. There are definitely various segments in which the types of cars can be however distinguished. In this article, we are going to discuss few car segments that are available in India, with demands and needs kept in mind.

The cars are distinguished based on their size, features and dimensions. So, with this introduction, we shall start the detailed study on segments of cars in india.

A-Segment (Mini Hatchbacks)

Indian customers are value-oriented. We have major carmakers in the market competing for providing small car segment to their customers. Mini hatchback being the fastest growing segment provides a pool of choice to the customers at their wishes Smallest hatchbacks in India are the A-segment.

• Speaking of the size, the hatchbacks in the A-Segment are less than four metres in length keeping one person in mind.
• A small engine that supplies sufficient power does the job pretty well.
• A-Segment comes with only petrol engine in India.
• The A-Segment does provide an option of AMT gearbox.
• There are balanced features in these cars. Also, with the low range of costing it gives a favourable effect.
• Renault Kwid, Datsun Go, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Santro Xing etc. are the cars that belong to the A-Segment.

B-Segment (Small Hatchbacks)

For the long travel drives with a necessary factor of average and speed, the best suited are the B-Segment Hatchbacks. The size of these hatchbacks is a little larger than the one falling in A-Segment.

• The B-Segment hatchbacks have a length of just around 4 metres.
• With a decent-sized engine, ranging from 1.0-litre turbo petrol to 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine.
• The long travel journeys make you to choose between diesel and petrol engines, depending on different manufacturers of cars.
• CVT or a DCT drivetrain options are available when it comes to a drivetrain. AMT is also available.
• B-Segment has ample of beautiful features. This is where this segment stands out. The cars have got an A quality interior as well.
• Tata Altroz, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Maruti Swift, etc. are some of the examples falling in this segment.

C-Segment (Small Sedans or Family Cars)

This segment offers the cars that are most in demand This segment is further divided into different categories.

Sub-Compact Sedans: The need to carry extra luggage and materials is very well fulfilled by the Sub Compact Sedans. Let’s look for what this segment has to offer:

• These sedans are sub-4 metre sedans that provide safety and comfort on a great level. Also, they share more or less the area as the B-Segment.
• Drivetrain and the powertrain of this segment shares similarity with their hatchback counterparts.
• Having mixed reviews for this segment, everybody shares a subjective outlook on this segment.
• Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze, etc. are the cars that belong to sub-compact segment.

Small Sedans: Apart from providing a luxurious experience, small sedans have a large space from both inside and out. Digging deeper to have more knowledge on the segment.

• These are made with ground up and they do not have a combined platform, which gives them a very unique touch. They measure more than 4 metres in length.
• The size is bigger and they usually get a bigger engine of around 1.5 to 1.6 litres.
• Diesel and petrol engines are available in this segment.
• Automatic transmission is usually offered for better convenience A torque convertor, CVT and DCT are also offered by manufacturers in these cars.
• Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Hyundai Verna, Honda City etc, are the cars available in this segment.

D-Segment (Mid-Sized cars or Sedans)

The cars in this segment offer great luxury. They are a little high on the price range than C-segment sedans. Let us get into the features this segment has to offer.  

• D-Segment sedans are larger and bigger as compared to C-Segment sedans.
• The interior and the exterior of this segment offers a luxurious tone to the entire line of features.
• Some cars that fall into this segment are Honda Civic, Skoda Laura, and BMW 3-series.

E-Executive Segment (Executive Luxury Cars)

This segment offers top-class cars. The cars in this segment are also known as administrator cars. Lavish cars come under this segment, let us have a look at the features.

• These sedans are spacious and are longer, wider and have really good space.
• These cars come among the business class models.
• Since these are not city cars, one needs to think twice before taking them on a commute. The size of these cars is big.
• Cars that fall in this segment are BMW 5-Series, BMW 7-Series. Audi A6, etc.

M-Multipurpose Cars (MPVs)

The cars that fall into this segment are fairly large and comes in all sizes and shapes. They possess space for a minimum of six people and serve different sort of purposes. These also serve as the value of the money cars.

Small MPVs: The cars falling in this segment are comparatively smaller but accommodate more than five passengers.

• The length of the car goes around 4 metres making an easy ride for commuting, keeping the daily traffic in mind.
• Small engine makes a cheaper deal to run and to maintain.
• Seating capacity usually ranges from 6 to 7 people.
• There are few cars in this segment, not many in India though, but some of the cars in this segment are Renault Triber, Honda BR-V, Maruti Ertiga, etc.

Medium MPVs: Comes in the middle of the size chart of these cars. The capacity for seating is as same as the above-mentioned MPV but the headroom and the legroom make this MPV worth a buy.

• Length comes as a hindrance when it comes to parking these MPVs.
• A little bigger engine leads to the better quality of the engine itself. It is a fair deal when it comes to this combination of size and power together.
• When safety is to be talked of, these MPVs offer viable safety equipment and on the other side elements for entertainment too.
• Toyota Innova and Mahindra Marazzo are the cars that fall under this category.

Large MPVs: This segment of large MPVs offer great luxury, extended features with great quality, comfort and convenience. These large MPVs have a lot to offer in them, let’s check out.

• These MPVs have the capacity to seat around 8 people in them. But the size can be a bit of trouble when it comes to taking these cars on the roads full of traffic.
• Automatic transmission comes in handy and provides convenience when it comes to taking responsibility of so many people sitting in the car.
• They do have minibars and a TV in it, so on long journeys, you know that you’re not going to be bored.
• Toyota Vellfire and Kia Carnival are the MPVs that fall under this category in India.

J-Sports Utility Vehicles

This list comes to an end with the J-Segment (SUV), which is the most eminent of all of the segments that are mentioned above. Sport Utility Vehicles or  SUVs fall under this segment. These are strong cars build for even the roads that take you to the mountains.

Sub-Compact SUVs: The smallest of SUVs falls under this category. The cars in this segment are not that common in India. These come in handy and are best to steer up and around in cities with traffics.

• The length of these SUVs is around 4 metres, quite similar to sub-compact sedans in general.
• They are known for their quality and they do provide an engine that returns great power.
• Both diesel and petrol engine choices are usually offered in these cars.
• No compromises when it comes to features.
• Cars that fall under this segment are Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Venue.

Compact SUVs: To tackle the tough country roads, Compact SUVs serve as a great choice. Let us find out what all features the compact SUVs offer:

• Crossing the hindrances, the compact SUV makes its way to the busiest of roads and through the toughest of terrains.
• A powerful engine combined with the size makes it a deadly combination. This SUV fulfils the wishes and requirements of the customers seeking for SUV pleasure.
• They are equipped with all the latest technology in the market. They make you go for the long run when it comes to entertainment. They serve as a beautiful companion for trips to the mountains.
• Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, and Renault Duster fall under the category of Compact SUVs.

Mid-Size SUVs: SUVs that are mid-sized fit right in between the compact SUVs and full-size SUVs. Size and space are the features that are the most important to this segment. Let us dig deeper into what all this segment has to offer.

• When it comes to metropolitan cities these cars can be a bit of trouble because of their sizes.
• Size being the key factor, these SUVs allow you to accommodate 5-8 people.
• They are equipped with the latest technology and safety features.
• Some of these SUVs have the 4×4 feature which makes the drive easy in the trails and woods.
• Tata Harrier, MG Hector Plus etc. are the cars that come under this segment of cars.

Large SUVs: The full-sized SUVs a.k.a the Large SUVs are the ones that are bigger in size, have abundant space and offer seating capacity for more than 6 occupants. They are actually very strong, which means they are made to cross any given challenging terrain.

• They surely for a reason do not come in handy with the traffic, because of their bulky body. They somehow cause chaos out there in traffic.
• To counter the blind spots they rarely do possess any kind of advanced equipment.
• These beasts let you drive you in full power with an excessive advanced engine built with highly advanced technology. They are powered by a higher capacity engine and are also usually offered with an automatic transmission.
• The price is set on the higher spectrum but the value is worth the price.
• Ford Endeavour, Toyota Fortuner, Toyota Land Cruiser, etc. are amongst few cars that fall under this category.

Crossovers: This segment is not amongst the famous ones and has seen a drastic dropdown for the cars that come under this category.

• These cars are very easy to steer around in the traffic.
• They do have powerful engines like the ones in compact SUVs.
• They are loaded with features.

Cars that fall into this category are Honda W-RV, Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, etc.

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