F-segment

The F-segment is the largest of the European segments for passenger cars, and always belongs to "luxury cars".[1][2][3] The equivalent categories are full-size luxury sedan (or "large luxury sedan") in the United States, luxury saloon (or "luxury limousine") in the United Kingdom, and Oberklasse in Germany.

2002–2012 Maybach 57
1925-1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom I

Characteristics

F-segment is a niche of the European market (approx. 0.3%) and the range is limited to only a few models.[4] Most F-segment cars use a sedan body style, however some have been produced as wagons/estates or have a hatchback rear door.

Extended wheelbase variants of these cars are common, as many of the luxury features are placed for the rear-seat occupants. In some markets (depending on the manufacturer), short wheelbase models are excluded completely, and only long wheelbase variants are sold.

Ultra-luxury cars are also included in F-segment.

Current models

The Three highest selling F-segment cars in Europe are the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series, and Audi A8.

European sales figures
2018
rank		ManufacturerModel2013 sales2014 sales2015 sales2016 sales2017 sales2018 sales% change
(2017–2018)
1 Mercedes-Benz S-Class 8,736 17,669 16,583 14,967 14,757 14,373 –3%
2 BMW 7 Series 5,980 5,307 5,985 13,320 11,533 9,552 –17%
3 Audi A8 / S8 5,486 6,556 6,717 5,372 5,887 5,791 -2%
4 Jaguar XJ (On hiatus since 2020) 2,287 1,905 1,616 1,847 1,495 1,099 –2%
5 Lexus LS 101 636 +530%
6 Maserati Quattroporte 452 812 815 682 562 459 –18%
7 Bentley Flying Spur 313 624 555 627 637 359 -44%
8 Rolls-Royce Phantom 120 105 97 124 95 171 +80%
9 Rolls-Royce Ghost 255 189 233 180 166 113 –32%
10 Bentley Mulsanne (Ceased production in 2020) 156 185 209 227 186 108 –42%
11 Aston Martin Rapide (Ceased production in 2020) 250 165 197 108 124 74 -40%
Total — — — — — 40,754 45,928 42,189 -8%

F-segment car models

Asia

In China, Hongqi CA72 was launched in 1958, making it the oldest Chinese F-segment car.[5]

The first F-segment car from an Asian manufacturer for an outside market was the 1989 Lexus LS400. Before the debut of luxury orientated Japanese manufacturers such as Lexus or Infiniti, most flagship models were limited for Japan only. Examples included the Toyota Century and Nissan President.

In South Korea, early F-segment cars were the result of partnerships with long-established manufacturers, for example the 1994 Daewoo Arcadia (a re-badged Honda Legend), the 1997 SsangYong Chairman (based on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class) and the 1999 Hyundai Equus (based on the Mitsubishi_Proudia/Dignity). More recent F-segment cars from South Korea include the Genesis G90.

Europe

The lineage of Mercedes-Benz's current F-segment car begins with the 1951 Mercedes-Benz W187. The W187 was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz W180 (nicknamed "Ponton") in 1954, which was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz W111 in 1959, which was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz W108 in 1965. The W108 was replaced by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 1972, which has been produced for six generations and remains in production today.

Jaguar's first F-segment car was the 1951 Jaguar Mark VII. The Mark VII was replaced by the 1956 Jaguar Mark VIII, then the 1959 Jaguar Mark IX and the 1961 Jaguar Mark X, which was renamed the "Jaguar 420G" in 1966. The 420G was replaced by the Jaguar XJ in 1968, which has been produced for four generations and remains in production today.

The 1952–1963 BMW 501/502 sedans are predecessors to BMW's current line of F-segment cars. The successor to the 501/502 was the BMW New Six (also known as E3), introduced in 1977. The E3 was replaced by the BMW 7 Series in 1978, which has been produced for six generations and remains in production today.

The Maserati Quattroporte was released in 1963 and is currently in its sixth generation.

The first F-segment car from Audi was the 1988 Audi V8. The Audi V8 was replaced by the Audi A8 in 1994, which has been produced for four generations and remains in production today.

United States
Main article: Full-size car

F-segment cars are known as "full-size luxury cars" in the United States, and form part of the full-size car category (along with non-luxury large cars and the smaller E-segment cars).

See also

References
  1. "REGULATION (EEC) No 4064/89 - MERGER PROCEDURE" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. Luxemburg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities: 2. 17 March 1999. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  2. "Car prices within the European Union / Prix des voitures au sein de l'Union européenne / Autopreise in der europäischen Union" (PDF). ec.europa.eu (in English, French, and German). Brussels: Publications Office of the European Union. 1 January 2011. Retrieved 2019-03-03.
  3. "Impact on the Competitiveness of the European Automotive Industry of Potential FTA with India and ASEAN" (PDF). www.europa.eu. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 April 2013.
  4. "European car sales analysis March 2015 – models". Left Lane.
  5. "About FAW > Key Events". China: First Automobile Works. Archived from the original on 2009-03-04.


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