Automobile segment: what are the categories of cars in Europe

The piston segments are strongly asked within your engine, they will wear out as the uses if the engine is not maintained correctly. When these are HS, you will be in the presence of the following symptoms on your vehicle:

Piston segment: role, maintenance and price

Find the best garage to change your piston segments:

The piston segment can be found in multiple places in your car: engine, compressors, pumps, gearbox or even turbocharger. However, the most frequent is the piston segment present in vehicle combustion engines. Located between the piston and the wall of the cylinder, it plays a key role in ensuring the proper functioning of the engine and its waterproofing !

• ⚙️ What is the role of a piston segment ?
• ��️ How to measure a piston segment ?
• �� What are the symptoms of an HS piston segment ?
• �� What is the price of a piston segment ?

Find the best garage to change your piston segments:

⚙️ What is the role of a piston segment ?

The piston segment is found in combustion engines that they operate with petrol or diesel. We are talking about segmentation of engine. Its presence is essential for guarantee the sealing, thermal conduction and the lubrication of the engine of your car. As you will have understood, this part is not present in the engine of electric vehicles. Generally, there are piston segments designed in cast iron, bronze in steel or stainless steel Depending on the models and brands.

In addition, the piston segments absorb the pressure of combustion and make it possible to cool the piston. As a rule, a 4 -stroke engine has 3 piston segments per cylinder. Each piston segments plays a different role:

1. The first piston segment protects the following two, it blocks the combustion gases and the pressure of the combustion of the air and fuel mixture is absorbed;
2. The second piston segment, located below, retains the combustion gases and transports the engine oil down;
3. The last segment, called the scraper segment, maintains the oil in its location.

Depending on the piston segment models, many types of compression can be found: rectangular, conical, trapezoid, bombed or even in.

��️ How to measure a piston segment ?

If you want to measure one of the piston segments of the engine of your vehicle, you will have to carry out this operation precisely to limit the risk of error. In order to correctly make your measurements, you can proceed as follows with a slide:

• Measurement of the cylinder bore : this corresponds to the diameter of the piston, it is necessary to measure perpendicularly compared to the axis of the piston;
• The measurement of the thickness of the piston segment : it will be measured with a slide;
• Observation of the shape of the piston segment : it can have a different shape from one engine to another. Indeed, it can be rectangular, in eagle beak, in l in semi trapezius or right right.

To perform this measurement, you will have to access the engine of your car. If you are not comfortable in automotive mechanics to do so, you can Find the measurement of piston segments otherwise. Indeed, consult the service book of the vehicle because it contains all the references of the parts compatible with your car and the manufacturer’s recommendations compared to the original parts and the maintenance of your vehicle. This will allow you to know the reference of the piston segments of the combustion engine and their measurements.

Find the best garage to change your piston segments:

�� What are the symptoms of an HS piston segment ?

The piston segments are strongly asked within your engine, they will wear out as the uses if the engine is not maintained correctly. When these are HS, you will be in the presence of the following symptoms on your vehicle:

1. A loss ofengine power : the engine is increasingly difficult to reach a significant engine speed because there is a loss of compression;
2. An increase in consumption ofengine oil : the lack of motor power leads to an increase in the consumption of the engine oil by the system;
3. Blue smoke in the gases ofexhaust : the engine oil will move up and burn, you will observe blue smoke to the exhaust;
4. A light engine light : the engine cannot function properly, this causes the engine light to start on the dashboard.

As soon as these situations occur, it is necessary to act quickly because it can cause the total breakage of your engine and generates extremely expensive repair costs.

�� What is the price of a piston segment ?

The piston segment is rarely sold alone, we rather find games of 4 to 6 piston segments. Depending on the building materials of the segments and their brand, the price may vary from single to double. On average, it is necessary to count between 20 € and 50 € For a game of 4 segments.

In addition, if you go through a professional to make the change in piston segments, you will have to add the cost of the workforce.

The piston segment is a part unknown to motorists but its role is crucial in ensuring the waterproofing of the engine and its proper functioning during combustion. If your engine works unusually, get closer to a workshop mechanic so that he can detect the origin of the dysfunction !

Find the best garage to change your piston segments:

Automobile segment: what are the categories of cars in Europe ?

Mostly based on the size of the vehicles and their bodywork, European segmentation allows manufacturers to position their vehicles in a coherent manner in the face of the competing offer. Even if obviously certain brands try to stand out by putting some of their products between two segments.

For a few years now, especially since the advent of crossovers, the boundaries between the different types of automobile models are increasingly vague. This is due to the very name of “crossover”, which means “crossing” in French, and which draws new types of bodywork halfway between break and SUV for example, or between SUV and coupe. Leaving, moreover, that the attached terms are completely antinomic: the famous “cut sedan”.

What is a car segment ?

These purely marketing inventions obviously make an eye to consumers, playing on different tables to better catch them in the nets of car manufacturers. However, there is a nomenclature in terms of automotive that we continue to use to classify the models in different price ranges, sizes, bodywork, uses … This is called “car segmentation”.

Note that this is a market analysis tool used by car manufacturers or even rental companies, but that it is not official. To see more clearly, and perhaps accompany you in the search for your future automobile, we will detail in the lexicon below all these car segmentations as they currently exist.

What are the automotive segmentations in Europe ?

Here in growing order of vehicle size, the various segments of private vehicles as defined by the European Commission*:

A – Mini Citadines segment

THE segment a corresponds to cars revolving around 3.50 meters, between 3.4 and 3.7 meters. They are intended for a rather urban and young clientele, generally have 3 or 5 doors, and can accommodate up to 4 passengers.

On the motorization side, there are most often petrol engines, while with the evolution of European regulations in polluting emissions, some models have gentle hybridization (or MHEV). The electrification of segment A cars is also increasingly popular.

For the segment has mini city cars, the European Commission gives two examples of cars: the Fiat 500 and the Opel Adam. Other examples of models of the A: Fiat Panda, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Renault Twingo, Volkswagen Up!, Skoda Citigo…

• Car of the best -selling segment in France in 2021: Renault Twingo
• Car of the segment the best sold in Europe in 2021: Fiat 500

Segment B – Versatile city dwellers

THE segment B designates them versatile city cars offering a length ranging from 3.70 m to 4.10 meters. Again mainly with an urban vocation, they are the real stars of the automotive market, trusing the first places in France and in Europe. Still often offered in 3 -door versions a few years ago, the city bodies of segment B are now almost all of 5 -door bodywork.

There are also more and more SUVs (called B-SUV) which slightly increase the dimensions of the segment, sliding very slowly towards the C segment and going up to 4.30 meters long.

As for engines, they are almost all represented in the B segment, even if diesel is losing momentum in favor of petrol, and that gentle hybridization, but also “classic” hybridization and even rechargeable hybridization are taking up more and more space.

For this segment B, The European Commission gives as examples of vehicles the Renault Clio and Ford Fiesta. It is also necessary to include the Peugeot 208, Renault Zoé, Toyota Yaris, Citroën C3, Nissan Micro, Mini 5 Portes, Audi A1 Sportback, Hyundai i20, Seat Ibiza, Opel Corsa and Corsa-E, Kia Rio, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia…

As for B-SUV, you can cite the Volkswagen Taigo, Hyundai Bayon, Citroën C4 Cactus, Skoda Kamiq, Peugeot 2008 and E-2008, Kia Niro, Audi Q2…

• The best -selling B segment car in France in 2021: Peugeot 208
• Car of the best -selling B segment in Europe in 2021: Peugeot 208

Segment C – Compact sedans

Another very important segment among manufacturers, the segment c, which represents the compact sedans. It is indeed the one that sells the most in Europe, with the Volkswagen Golf in worthy representative, the best -selling model on the old continent in 2021.

On this segment C, the European Commission takes examples the Volkswagen Golf but also the Honda Civic. You can also cite the Renault Mégane, Citroën C4, DS 4, Peugeot 308, Opel Astra, Seat Leon, Toyota Corolla…

Very wide, the C segment integrates the cars measuring between 4.10 meters and 4.50 m. And above all it offers a plurality of different bodywork, and no longer just sedans. As proof, it is a SUV, or a C-SUV, the Peugeot 3008, which was the best sold in the segment in 2021.

In addition to the SUVs, the C segment also incorporates all the variants, numerous, of flagship models, be it breaks, coupes, minivans, tricorps sedans. Take the example of a BMW Series 1 which is the compact sedan declining in many forms with the series 2: Coupé (2 doors), Gran Coupé (4 doors), minivan (Active Tourer) and 7 -seater minivan (Gran Tourer). All in the C segment.

In terms of engines, the range is very wide with diesel, petrol, all kinds of hybridization and obviously electric (Renault Mégane e-tech, Mercedes Eqa …).

Here are a few examples a list (not exhaustive) of vehicles representing the C:

• VS : Renault Mégane, Peugeot 308, Citroën C4, DS 4, Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes Class A, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Golf, Seat Leon, Cupra Leon, Mazda 3, Kia Ceed;
• C – SUV : Renault Austral, Volkswagen Tiguan, Peugeot 3008, Seat Ateca, Volvo XC40, Nissan Qashqai, Citroën C5 Aircross, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Id.4, Mazda CX.5, Toyota Rav4, Kia Xceed, Audi Q3, BMW X1;
• C – Break : Volkswagen Golf SW, Peugeot 308 SW, Seat Leon Sportourer, Cupra Leon Sportourer, Hyundai i30 SW, Kia Ceed Sw, Kia Proceeds…
• C – Coupé : BMW 2 Series Coupé;
• C – Tricorps : BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, Audi A3 sedan, Honda Civic 5 Portes, Mercedes Class A sedan, Hyundai i30 Fastback.

• The best -selling segment C segment in France in 2021: Peugeot 3008
• The best -selling segment C segment in Europe in 2021: Volkswagen Golf

Segment D – Family sedans

With lengths generally contained between 4.50 m and 4.90 m, the segment family sedans is a little larger than that of compacts. Bodywork is mainly three volumes, even if some models released in recent years have tended to muddle the tracks.

This is the case of the Tesla Model 3 which is also the best -selling segment of segment in 2021.

On this segment, the European Commission takes as an example the BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Passat. We also find the Mercedes Class C, Audi A4, Renault Talisman, Peugeot 508.

So many sedans as we often find in Break bodywork, belonging to the same segment D, just like high-perforated derivatives, SUV versions, also called D-SUV. We can notably talk about the Audi Q5, the Mercedes GLC, the Lexus NX, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, the BMW X3, the Volvo XC60, the Peugeot 5008.

Regarding engines, the D segment, in particular due to a more imposing volume and a more statutory image, offers more powerful, petrol and diesel engines, with more and more hybrid rechargeable alternatives. The electric offer is also increasingly strengthened, notably with the Tesla Model Y, the Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron, the Skoda Enyaq IV and Enyaq Coupé IV, Mercedes Eqb, Kia Ev6 ..