Learning about cars: the ‘A’ segment

The new Fiat Panda, Europe’s ‘A’ segment best-seller. Photo by netcarshow.com

It’s common to hear from people that one car is better than another one without taking into account their target and segment. It’s true that when people buy a car they compare all options within a range of prices and they don’t really pay attention to segment of their candidates. But for making a better purchase analysis and in order to not to do bad comparisons here is an explanation about segmentations in cars, this case about ‘A’ segment.

Cars are more or less classified according to their size. That is how segmentation is born: the car manufacturer comunicates the measures (especially the length) of its product and then specialized press situates it in a segment and then make benchmarking with its competitors. That’s why a common client should never hear about a Fiat Panda being compared to a VW Golf or an Maserati Quattroporte versus a Mercedes C Class. It works everywhere but with some differences among regions as people’s needs are not the same worldwide.

‘A’ Segment is composed by the smallest cars available. Length from 2,7 m up to 3,7 m. All of them with small and very efficient engines, with maximum room for 4 people and extremely popular in India, Italy, Japan, Brazil, the Netherlands and Denmark. Here they are:

EUROPE