![2018 Honda Accord 12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/2018_Honda_Accord_12.17.17.jpg)
Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a
vehicle size class
Vehicle size classes are series of ratings assigned to different segments of automotive vehicles for the purposes of vehicle emissions control and fuel economy calculation. Various methods are used to classify vehicles; in North America, passen ...
which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than
compact car
Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...
s and smaller than
full-size car
Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment.
Af ...
s. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the
D-segment
The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars".
It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category use ...
in the European car classification. Mid-size cars are manufactured in a variety of body styles, including
sedans,
coupe
A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors.
The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
s,
station wagon
A station wagon ( US, also wagon) or estate car ( UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door ( ...
s,
hatchback
A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
s, and
convertible
A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers.
A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...
s.
Compact executive car
A compact executive car, also known as a compact luxury car, is a premium car larger than a premium compact and smaller than an executive car. Compact executive car is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in the European car classification.
A ...
s can also fall under the mid-size category.
History
![Ford_Taurus_GL_3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Ford_Taurus_GL_3.0_1986_%2817776854394%29.jpg)
The automobile that defined this size in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
was the
Rambler Six
The Rambler Six and the Rambler V8 are intermediate sized automobiles that were built and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1956 to 1960.
Launched on 15 December 1955, the 1956 model year Rambler Six ushered a "new era in moto ...
that was introduced in 1956, although it was called a "compact" car at that time. Much smaller than any standard contemporary full-size cars, it was called a compact to distinguish it from the small imported cars that were being introduced into the marketplace.
By the early 1960s, the car was renamed the
Rambler Classic
The Rambler Classic is an intermediate sized automobile that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the 1961 through 1966 model years. The Classic took the place of the Rambler Six and Rambler Rebel V-8 names, which were ...
and while it retained its basic dimensions, it was now competing with an array of new "intermediate" models from General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. The introduction of the 1962
Ford Fairlane was viewed by consumers as too close to the compact
Falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
in size and performance as well as too close to the full-sized
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
models in price.
It was the introduction of General Motors "
senior compacts" that grew the mid-size market segment as the line of cars themselves kept increasing in size.
By 1965, these
GM "A platform" mid-size models matched the size of 1955 full-size cars.
During the 1970s, the intermediate class in the U.S. was generally defined as vehicles with wheelbases between and . Once again, the cars grew and by 1974 they were "about as large as the full-size cars of a decade or so ago ... best sellers include
Ford Torino
The Ford Torino is an automobile that was produced by Ford for the North American market between 1968 and 1976. It was a competitor in the intermediate market segment. The car was named after the city of Turin (''Torino'', in Italian), consider ...
,
Chevrolet Chevelle
The Chevrolet Chevelle is a mid-sized automobile that was produced by Chevrolet in three generations for the 1964 through 1978 model years. Part of the General Motors (GM) A-body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevrolet's most successful ...
,
AMC Matador,
Plymouth Satellite
The Plymouth Satellite is a mid-size automobile introduced in the 1965 model year as the top trim model in Plymouth's "B" platform Belvedere line. Available initially in two-door hardtop and convertible models, the Satellite remained the top-of- ...
..." The domestic manufacturers began changing the definition of "medium" as they developed new models for an evolving market place.
A turning point occurred in the late 1970s, when rising fuel costs and government fuel economy regulations caused all car classes to shrink, and in many cases to blur. Automakers moved previously "full-size" nameplates to smaller
platforms such as the
Ford LTD II
The Ford LTD II is an automobile produced and marketed by Ford Motor Company between 1977 and 1979 in the United States and Canada. Deriving its name from the full-sized Ford LTD model line, the intermediate LTD II consolidated the Ford Torino a ...
and the
Plymouth Fury
The Plymouth Fury is a model of automobile that was produced by Plymouth from 1955 until 1989. It was introduced for the 1956 model year as a sub-series of the Plymouth Belvedere, becoming a separate series one level above the contemporary Belved ...
. A comparison test by ''
Popular Science
''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
'' of four intermediate sedans (the 1976 AMC Matador,
Chevrolet Malibu
The Chevrolet Malibu is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Chevrolet from 1964 to 1983 and again since 1997. The Malibu began as a trim-level of the Chevrolet Chevelle, becoming its own model line in 1978. Originally a rear-wheel-drive ...
, Ford Torino, and
Dodge Coronet
The Dodge Coronet is an automobile that was marketed by Dodge in seven generations, and shared nameplates with the same bodyshell with varying levels of equipment installed. Introduced as a full-size car in 1949, it was the division's highest tr ...
) predicted that these will be the "big cars of the future." By 1978, General Motors made its intermediate models smaller.
![Opel Omega front 20080118](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Opel_Omega_front_20080118.jpg)
New "official" size designations in the U.S. were introduced by the
EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
, which defined market segments by passenger and cargo space. Formerly mid-sized cars that were built on the same platform, like the
AMC Matador sedan, had a combined passenger and cargo volume of , and were now considered "full-size" automobiles.
Cars that defined the mid-size market in the 1980s and 1990s included the Chrysler K-Cars (
Dodge Aries
The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries are mid size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first " K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passen ...
and
Plymouth Reliant
The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries are mid size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first " K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passeng ...
), the
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
, and the
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...
, which was upsized into the midsize class in 1991. The Taurus and Camry came to define the mid-size market for decades.
Mid-size cars were the most popular category of cars sold in the United States, with 27.4 percent during the first half of 2012, ahead of crossovers at 19 percent.
Current definition
![2017 Chevrolet Malibu (E2XX) front 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/2017_Chevrolet_Malibu_%28E2XX%29_front_3.25.18.jpg)
The
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...
(EPA) ''Fuel Economy Regulations for 1977 and Later Model Year'' (dated July 1996) includes definitions for classes of automobiles. Based on the combined passenger and
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
volume, mid-size cars are defined as having an ''interior volume index'' of .
See also
*
Car classification
Governments and private organizations have developed car classification schemes that are used for various purposes including regulation, description, and categorization of cars.
The International Standard ISO 3833-1977 ''Road vehicles – Types ...
*
Vehicle size class
Vehicle size classes are series of ratings assigned to different segments of automotive vehicles for the purposes of vehicle emissions control and fuel economy calculation. Various methods are used to classify vehicles; in North America, passen ...
References
External links
Vehicles listed by EPA class (1984-present)
{{Automobile configuration
Vehicles introduced in 1956
Car classifications