Estate car British name for a station wagon. Crossover (or CUV) A loose marketing term to describe a vehicle that blends features of a SUV with features of a car - especially forgoing the body on frame construction of the SUV in favor of the car's unibody or monocoque construction. Coupé utility (ute) the coupé utility is a passenger-car derived vehicle with coupé passenger cabin lines and an integral cargo bed. Originally, a coupé was required to have only one side window per side, but this consideration has not been used for many years.
#History of car body design plus#
In cases where the rear seats are very small and not intended for regular use it is called a 2+2 (pronounced "two plus two"). Its doors are often longer than those of an equivalent sedan and the rear passenger area smaller the roof may also be low. Coupé A 2-door, 2- or 4-seat car with a fixed roof. Convertible A body style with a flexible textile folding roof or rigid retracting roof - of highly variable design detail - to allow driving in open or enclosed modes. Cabriolet A term for a convertible (see below). Fundamental to various older designs such as the Citroën 2CV sometimes an option on modern cars. Cabrio coach or Semi-convertible A form of car roof, where a retractable textile cover amounts to a large sunroof. The terms are usually (but not exclusively) used in Europe to describe what is referred to in North America as a sport utility vehicle or SUV (see below). Styles in current use 4x4 or 4WD ("four-by-four" or "four-wheel drive") A four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously.
Non-structural body panels have been made of wood, steel, aluminum, fiberglass and several more exotic materials. There have also been various hybrids, for example the Volkswagen Beetle had a chassis, consisting of the floor pan, door sills and central tunnel, but this chassis relied on the stiffening provided by the bodywork, a technique sometimes called semi-monocoque construction. Less common types include tube frame and space frame designs used for high-performance cars. Steel monocoque construction is now the most common form of car bodywork, although aluminum and carbon fiber may also be used. Although there is no separate complete frame or chassis, many monocoque/unibody designs now often include subframes. It provides support to all the mechanical components, as well as protection for the vehicle occupants.