Cars in India! A Comprehensive Guide to Types of Cars

• 1. Hatchback

- Hatchback is a car which has two sections. One is the engine section and the other is shared passenger and cargo section. These are usually five door cars where the rearmost section (i.e. cargo area) is accessible via a top-hinged liftgate with a facility to fold down rear seats and enable flexibility within the shared passenger and cargo volume.
Manufacturers who sell Hatchback Cars in India - Chevrolet, Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, Nissan, Reva, Skoda, Tata, Volkswagon (Diagram of a five-door hatchback (two-box) superimposed over the station wagon (two-box) from the same model range — in this case, both with a D-pillar.)

• 2. Sedan / Saloon / Notchback

- A Sedan or Saloon is a three-box car with three segments namely A, B & C. These three are the engine, passenger and cargo compartments respectively. These cars fall under midsize car segment and the rear cargo section is called the boot of the car. The basic difference between a hatchback and a sedan is that they both have boot section, but it is not accessible from the passenger section in sedan as in the case of hatchback. Hatchbacks have two-way accessibility to boot section, one from the passenger compartment and other from the rear door that opens upward.
Manufacturers that sell Sedan cars in India - Audi, Bentley, BMW, Chevrolet, Daewoo, Fiat, Ford, Hindustan Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mahindra-Renault, Maini, Maruti-Suzuki, Maybach, Mercedez-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Porsche, Premier, Rollsroyce, Skoda, Tata, Toyota, Volkswagon and Volvo. (Diagram of a sedan (three box) over a station wagon (two box) from the same model range.)

• 3. Coupe

- These are the high end Sedans with a sporty look. However, the definition varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Today these premium sporty sedans generally have two-door pillar less hardtop instead of four-door as in the case of normal sedans. Coupe has a wheelbase between 100 and 102 inches.
Manufacturers that sell Coupe car in India - Audi, Bentley, BMW, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche and Rolls-Royce.

• 4. Hybrid Cars

- A hybrid car is a car that uses two or more distinct power sources to move. The term Hybrid commonly refers to the electric cars. These cars combine an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. In India, the hybrid cars work on a combination of Petrol – Electric power source or rechargeable energy storage system.
Manufacturers that sell hybrid cars in India - Toyota and Honda

• 5. Convertible Car

- Convertible car is a car where the roof can retract or fold away that converts it from an enclosed car to an open air car. Mostly the high-end premium and expensive cars have such facility. The roof designs and the folding functionality differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. The roof is usually not detachable, rather its hinged and folds away behind the rear seat recess or in the boot of the car. The folding mechanism is either manual or automatic. It works via hydraulic or electrical actuators.
Manufacturers that sell Convertible cars in India - Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, San and Volvo.

• 6. Minivan / MUV

- A type of car that is similar to a van designed for personal use. These are typically one-box or two-box cars designed for maximum interior volume. These minivans are taller than sedans, station wagons and hatchbacks.
Manufacturers that sell Mini Vans in India - Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and Tata

• 7. Station Wagon

- A station wagon is a variant of sedan / saloon with an extended roof that covers the shared passenger and cargo compartment. The station wagon has a bigger cargo area, which is accessible via a 5th door i.e. a liftgate or tailgate. Here the three-box design of a sedan is converted into a two-box design.
Manufacturer that sell Station Wagon in India - Tata

• 8. SUV

- Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are similar to Station Wagon but they are built on light truck chassis. These are a bit heavier than the station wagon and generally have four-wheel-drive for on- or off-road ability. These are best off-road vehicles. Some of these heavy cars have a capacity of a pick-up truck with a passenger carrying capacity of a minivan.
Manufacturers that sell SUVs in India - Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, ICML, Land Rover, Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mercedes Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Premier, Tata, Toyota and Volkswagen.