Know about terms used in the automobile industry

Sedan:

A car with a fixed metal roof with engine, passengers and cargo in separate compartments usually having 4 doors and a less steeply sloping rear roofline than a coupe thus having increased headroom for rear passengers and a less sporting appearance.

There are some 2 door sedans as well that are available like Mercedes-Benz CL Class & Chevy Monte Carlo but in India we don’t have a very big market for 2 door cars.

A sedan can easily by recognised by its B pillar between the front and rear windows

Coupe:

A passenger car with a steep sloping rear roofline usually with 2 doors (although some of the 4 door cars have been termed as Coupe)

It generally has 2 seats or in some models 4 seats in a 2+2 configuration

Technically, a coupe is fixed top car with less than 33 Cubic feet of rear interior volume and a car with less than 33 cubic feet of rear interior volume is generally a 2 door car.

There are some 4 doors coupe as well that are available like Lamborghini Estoque & Aston Martin Rapide but there is still a confusion whether to term them as sedans or 4 door coupe

Cabriolet:

It is a French word for convertible. A vehicle that has a hard/soft top retractable roof.

Roadster:

A vehicle that has an open top, 2 seats, 2 doors and is made for sport although it’s not a race car by any means. The appearance & character of a Roadster is Sporty.

Every roadster is a convertible but every convertible cannot be a roadster.

Runabout:

A 2 seater open roof car like a roadster but a major difference is that the emphasis is on economy rather than performance.

Hatchbacks:

A vehicle that has a hatch type large door hinged at roof level at the back that swings upward when opened.

Many other cars may have the same rear door opening upwards but the term hatchback is used primarily for a small car with a raise open door at the rear instead of a trunk which usually gives more storage space.

In a hatchback, the cargo and the passenger area is a single volume and the rear seats can be folded to increase the cargo area.

Skoda Octavia & Hyundai Accent Viva were a good and rare example of a sedan hatchbacks in India.

Touring:

An open vehicle larger and longer passenger compartments than roadsters having seating capacity of 4 or more often fitted with convertible tops.

Spyder:

Sporty vehicles with no roof over the cockpit like a roadster, but essentially, it has wheels with very thin spokes like legs of a spider which gave them this name.

Notchback:

It’s a category of car having 3 box design and the boot/trunk being hinged below the rear window.

In these vehicles the rear/boot/trunk is much shorter than the front and the middle part and the term is primarily used for sedans.

Gran Turismo (GT):

It’s an Italian word for Grand Touring. These are like racing cars designed for road use and not race tracks.

They are meant for long drives so that you reach your destination not only quick but also comfortably.

High engine performance along with excellent suspension systems

Crossover:

Also known as Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) is a type of vehicle with unibody construction meaning the body and frame are a single structure. It’s based on a car platform unlike an SUV which is based on a truck platform.

As compared to SUVs, they have better interiors, they are more comfortable and more fuel efficient but has lower off-road capability.

Information Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org

https://www.google.co.in

https://www.automoblog.net

https://www.arrowheadmb.com

https://www.roadandtrack.com

https://www.carkeys.co.uk

https://www.gtplanet.net

https://cars.usnews.com