Sport compact

Sport compact is a United States marketing classification for a high-performance version of a compact or a subcompact car. There is no precise definition, and the description is applied to various models for promotional purposes. Cars began to be marketed as sport compacts in the mid-1980s to describe the option packages on American-built coupes. Since then, it has also been used for standalone sports car models and cars imported from Europe and Asia. The European equivalent is a hot hatch. However, sport compacts are not limited to hatchback body styles. A sports compact should "fulfill the multiple duties of a family car, plaything, and daily driver". Many sports compacts have coupe, sedan, or hatchback body styles built on mass-production platforms. Other common (but not essential) characteristics include front-wheel or all-wheel drive, a four-cylinder internal-combustion engine, suspension tuned for handling, and bodywork designed to improve aerodynamics or allow for larger wheels. "Econosport" is a rarely used term for a sports version of a small economy car.