A supermini (European) or subcompact car (United States) is a classification that describes cars larger than a city car but smaller than a compact car. In Australia these are more often known as light car. In 2004, the best selling cars in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal were all superminis. Overall in 2005, of the fifteen best selling types of car in Europe, six were superminis. Superminis usually have seating for four adults and a child. While twenty years ago their length was around 3700 mm, current superminis are usually around 3950 mm long in the case of hatchbacks and 4250 mm in the case of saloons and estates. A new trend of supermini-based multi-purpose vehicles and sport utility vehicles appeared in the last years, which are called the mini MPV and mini SUV respectively. The subcompact class is also known as the B-segment class. Such cars usually have four or more seats and in North America, subcompacts are usually considered to be those cars that have a wheelbase of 2.54 metres (100 inches) or less or between 85 ft³ (2400 L) and 99 ft³ (2800 L) of interior volume (though popular usage of the term frequently ignores these boundaries). Subcompacts/superminis are most commonly sold in Europe and Japan where they enjoy enormous popularity, and are reasonably popular in North America despite people often preferring American and Asian sedans.
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First use of term supermini
The term "supermini" appeared around 1985. The influential Consumers' Association first used the term in its annual Car Buying Guide in October of that year. Because the term was a new one, it gave an explanation at the start of a section entitled Small Hatchbacks. It said small hatchbacks were known popularly as superminis and while similar to the Mini they were more spacious inside and more versatile. This definition made clear that a "supermini" was something larger than a Mini yet smaller than a typical car of the time. In its 1985 report, it included such cars as the Austin Metro, Volkswagen Polo and Ford Fiesta. Smaller or more basic cars were grouped under a Bargain Basement heading and included the Mini, Citroën 2CV, Fiat 126 and Renault 4. The 1986 Car Buying Guide, published in June of that year, was more confident of the term and this time headed the section Small hatchbacks or 'superminis'. But the Mini and 2CV were still relegated to the cheaper category of Bargain Basement. By the time of the 1989 Car Buying Guide, there was no longer any need to explain what supermini meant and the title appeared without comment. In its introduction the Guide said superminis were available as three-door and five-door hatchbacks, and sometimes as saloons with a boot. The Mini and Renault 4 were still grouped separately, this year under the heading Cheapies. But by 1990 the demand for the cheapest cars, a number of them from low-cost economies in eastern Europe, was fading. For the first time the two or three remaining examples in the new car market, including the original Mini, were grouped under the heading superminis along with the couple of dozen true superminis that now dominated the cheaper end of the market. However, in its separate guide to car reliability in June 1990, the magazine grouped the smallest cars under the heading "Minis and Superminis", indicating that the smallest cars were still perceived as being distinct from the larger and better equipped "Superminis". These smaller cars are now called city cars.
History
1940s
The Citroën 2CV went on sale in 1948 and became a huge success.
1950s and 1960s
The Fiat 500 and Mini were successful mass production mini-cars in Europe, going on sale in 1957 and 1959 respectively. The Renault 4, an early example of a car with a top-hinged tailgate, or hatch, went on sale in 1961 and sold more than 1 million in less than five years. The Innocenti A40S Combinata, an Italian version of the 1958 Austin A40, appeared in 1962 with all the features of the modern hatchback style. [1]
1970s - oil crisis
By the 1970s, small cars were getting bigger and hatchback bodystyles were favoured over the traditional saloon. The 1973 oil crisis forced buyers to choose more economical, less powerful, lighter cars, The first successful small hatchbacks in Europe were the 1971 Fiat 127 (which was introduced as a saloon model) and the Renault 5 which were a strong sellers in Europe. Other successful superminis from the 1970s included the Volkswagen Polo (nee Audi 50), the 1976 Ford Fiesta, Opel Kadett City (Vauxhall Chevette in the UK) and Peugeot 104. By 1979, the Mini was 20 years old but still selling well and was the only car of its size available within the British Leyland combine. A more modern small car was already in the development stages, and due for a 1980 launch. It would be aimed directly at the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Chevette - which were the most popular small hatchbacks in the UK. Another popular choice in the sector was the Chrysler Sunbeam (Talbot Sunbeam after Peugeot bought Chrysler's European division). European and Asian mini-cars like the Datsun Cherry, Volkswagen Polo and Renault 5 were also becoming popular with British buyers, as the market as a whole was starting to see a rising number of foreign cars leaving British forecourts.
1980s
The 1980s saw the supermini market reach its peak. British Leyland began the decade by introducing the Austin Metro, which was seen as a replacement to the antiquated Mini. However, the Austin Metro was only on the scene for little more than two years before the supermini class took a giant step forward. 1983 saw two major launches on the continent: the stylish Pininfarina-penned Peugeot 205 and the Giugiaro-styled, spacious Fiat Uno. Both cars lasted well into the 1990s and were hugely popular all over Europe. Vauxhall/Opel replaced the Chevette/Kadett City with the all-new Vauxhall Nova (Opel Corsa on the continent). The Metro was an instant success - in the UK at least - for British Leyland and for the first three years of its production life it was the country's most popular mini-car. But Ford facelifted its seven-year-old Fiesta in 1983 and Ford regained pole position in the mini-car sector, maintaining this lead to the end of the decade and beyond thanks to the launch of an all-new Fiesta in early 1989. The 1980s saw the popularity of foreign cars rise sharply in the UK. The second generation Volkswagen Polo (on sale from late 1981) was a big hit with British buyers, as were the 1983 Peugeot 205 and Fiat Uno. 1983 also saw the launch of the Nissan Micra, a hugely popular Japanese import which gained a strong following thanks to its reliability and ease of driving. In spite of the foreign invasion of the mini-car market, Ford, Austin Rover and Vauxhall were still able to outsell their foreign counterparts throughout the decade. In the US Chevy brought out the Geo Metro a 1 liter three cylinder car with a five speed transmission. This light car could get as high as 72 mpg from skilled drivers. The Suzuki Swift had the same statistics. Then, under pressure from speed demons, the engineers added another cylinder and made the car heavier. Of course the miles per gallon shrunk and the car was eventually phased out.
1990s
The first major supermini launch of the 1990s was the Renault Clio, which arrived in 1990 as successor to the long-running super5. The super5 continued until 1995 but its sales slumped after the launch of the Clio, which shot straight to the top of the supermini class and set the benchmark for style, build quality, comfort and driver appeal. Peugeot launched two replacements for the 205; the smaller 106 in 1991 and the larger 206 in 1998. The 106 was Peugeot's first step in phasing out the hugely popular 205 range, which was finally superseded seven years later when the larger 206 went on sale. Nissan launched a curvy all-new Micra in 1992 and the new car, built at its Sunderland plant, was the first Japanese car to be voted European Car of the Year. The Fiat Punto replaced in 1994 the long-running Uno, and the new car set class-leading standards of style and economy. At the same time, the third generation Volkswagen Polo was launched. Ford's rejuvenated Fiesta was Britain's best selling car for the first time in 1990 and again in 1991, and a facelifted version of the same car retained top spot in 1996, 1997 and 1998. It topped the mini-car sales charts throughout the decade. The Rover Metro was heavily revised in early 1990 and remained popular with buyers, but by the time of its facelift to become the Rover 100 towards the end of 1994 it was starting to look out of date. The end of production - without a direct successor - was announced in December 1997 after a dismal NCAP showing. Vauxhall replaced the long-running Nova with the Corsa at the start of 1993, and it proved even more popular with buyers than its predecessor, though not quite popular enough to outsell the Ford Fiesta. The foreign invasion of the mini-car market became even greater during the 1990s. Peugeot's 106 range went on sale in 1991 and remained a popular choice with buyers even after the launch of the slightly larger and even more popular 206 in 1998. Renault enjoyed a massive rise in UK sales during the 1990s thanks to the popularity of its ultra-modern Clio supermini, introduced in 1990. In 1992 it became the first Renault to feature in the top 10 selling new cars in Britain, and its successor - launched in early 1998 - continued this success. Nissan's second generation Micra - launched in 1992 - was built in Britain and like its Japanese-built predecessor proved very popular with buyers for its reliability and ease of driving. Volkswagen's Polo continued to prove popular after the launch of an all-new model in 1994, and Volkswagen-owned SEAT enjoyed a huge rise in sales following the launch of the Polo-based Ibiza in 1993.
2000s
- See also List of recent superminis
The 21st century has seen several major supermini launches. In the year 2000, Volkswagen completed the transformation of the once-maligned Škoda company by launching the well-built, comfortable and economical Škoda Fabia. Within two years, the Fabia's chassis had spawned all-new versions of the Volkswagen Polo and Seat Ibiza. 2000 also saw Vauxhall/Opel launch the completely new Corsa which became hugely popular largely thanks to its spacious and comfortable interior which gave it a big-car feel. In 2001 BMW released the MINI "retro" version of the classic Mini. This car has proven to be very popular in the United States, a country normally known for an antipathy to cars of such size although demand has been strongest in the UK due to British perception of the car as a direct successor to the Mini. Citroën replaced the Peugeot 106-derived Saxo with the five-door C3 in 2002 and the three-door C2 in 2004. Both cars are strong sellers thanks to their competitive asking price, low running costs, distinctive modern styling and spacious interiors. Renault launched its third-generation Clio in 2005, and the all-new Opel Corsa, Fiat Punto and Peugeot 207 were released in 2006. Now the role of the supermini is changing for many people. These last models are on the 4000 mm range, which was typical of small family cars of the early 1990s. Some observers argue that these models are "jumping" from category, while others suggest that the categories evolve over time (i.e. size ranges of a certain category grow over time) and the descendants of a car (usually) keep in the same category. Some people now buy small cars for the fashion statement and cool image rather than because of limited finances or practical needs. The MINI, Lancia Ypsilon and Smart Forfour are all examples of the new "fashion superminis". In the UK, Ford and Vauxhall have fought a fierce battle in the British supermini sector during the 2000s. The Corsa was rejuvenated in 2000 and the Fiesta in 2002, but the first year of the new Fiesta's production life was a bit disappointing in terms of sales. It was overtaken in the sales charts by not only the Vauxhall Corsa but also the Peugeot 206. Subsequent years have seen the Fiesta and Corsa constantly alternate between first and second place. The Renault Clio achieved more sales success in the New Millennium, and the third generation model launched in 2005 just boosted the marque's fortunes. Popularity of the Volkswagen Polo has fallen slightly since the launch of an all-new model in 2002, hardly helped by some worrying quality issues for a car made by a manufacturer that built its reputation on reliability. In contrast, other foreign mini-cars like the Toyota Yaris, Fiat Punto and Skoda Fabia have proven themselves more and more popular with British buyers. Rover made a return to the mini-car sector in late 1999 when the 200 Series was facelifted to become the Rover 25 and re-positioned as a supermini to compete with cars in the sector below that of the original car. Due to public sentiment following the sell-off of Rover by BMW in the spring of 2000, the Rover 25 was Britain's most popular new car in April 2000, but sales soon settled back down to normal (considerably lower) levels after the remains of the Longbridge-based firm became MG Rover. The MG ZR was later released (essentially a badge engineered Rover 25) and proved moderately popular with young buyers. Sadly it wasn't quite popular enough to stop MG Rover from going into receivership in April 2005. MG Rover's new owners Nanjing Automobile of China have announced plans to re-enter the supermini market during 2008 with an all-new car badged as the MG 3 - and possibly also an Austin. Peugeot ceased UK operations in December 2006 with the closure of its Ryton plant which had been producing the 206 range since 1998, and its eventual successor - the 207 - sold well in the UK after its June 2006 launch.
See also
- List of recent subcompact cars
- Car classification
- City car
- Mini MPV
- Mini SUV
- Economy car
- Small family car
- Subcompact car
- Vehicle size class
