S-segment cars are a
European car spotter for ''sport cars''. The cars are often described as
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
s and the equivalent
Euro NCAP class is called "roadster sport".
Characteristics
S-segment cars have a sporting appearance and are usually designed to have superior
handling
Handling may refer to:
* Automobile handling, the turning characteristics of land vehicles
* Handling of stolen goods, a statutory offence in England and Wales and Northern Ireland
People
* Adam Handling (born 1988), British chef and restaura ...
and/or straight-line acceleration compared to other segments. The most common body styles for S-segment cars are
coupé and
convertible. Rear passenger accommodation is not a priority for S-segment cars, therefore many models are either two-seat cars or have a
2+2
Two Two (투투) was a Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern ...
layout with relatively cramped rear seating.
Most recent S-segment cars use the commonplace front-engine design (as either an
FF layout,
FR layout or
F4 layout), however the majority of cars with a
Mid-engine design or
rear-engine design belong to the S-segment.
Current models
The five highest selling S-segment cars in Europe are the Mazda MX-5, Porsche 911, Ford Mustang and Porsche Boxster/Cayman.
File:2016 Mazda MX-5 Sport NAV 1.5 Front.jpg, Mazda MX-5
The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-passenger Roadster (automobile), roadster sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda with a Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout#Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, front mid-engine, rear-wheel-driv ...
(1989–present)
File:2019 Porsche 911 Carrera S S-A 3.0 Front.jpg, Porsche 911 (1963–present)
File:2019 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 facelift.jpg, Ford Mustang (1964–present)
File:2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 2.5.jpg, Porsche Cayman (2005–present)
European sales figures
In 2014, the five highest selling coupé models were the
BMW 4 Series,
Opel Astra GTC
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. ...
,
BMW 2 Series,
Renault Mégane Coupé and
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W204).
The five highest selling convertible models in 2014 were the
Fiat 500C,
Mini Hatch,
BMW 4 Series (F32),
Volkswagen Beetle (A5) and
Volkswagen Golf Mk6.
See also
*
Euro Car Segment
*
Car classifications
*
Coupé
*
Convertible
*
Grand tourer
*
Muscle car
*
Sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
*
Supercar
References
{{Automobile configuration
Euro car segments