Editing Compact car (section)

=== 1930s to 1950s ===
[[File:1950-52 Nash Rambler conv.jpg|thumb|1952 [[Nash Rambler]] 2-door station wagon used until 1955, began 1950]]

The beginnings of U.S. production of compact cars were the late 1940s prototypes of economy cars, including the Chevrolet Cadet and the Ford Light Car.<ref name="Stevenson">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FGU5qHJY-y4C&q=Americans+did+not+take+easily+to+small+cars.+The+pre-war+Austin+Seven-based+Bantam+was+not+a+success,+and+the+postwar+Crosley+enjoyed+only+a+brief+vogue+in+the+late+1940s+before+extinction+in+1952&pg=PA214 |page=214 |title=American Automobile Advertising, 1930-1980: An Illustrated History |first=Heon |last=Stevenson |publisher=McFarland |year=2008 |isbn=9780786436859 |access-date=7 February 2016}}</ref>{{refpage|page=214}} Neither car reached production in the U.S., however [[Ford SAF]] in France bought the plans of the "small Ford" and produced the [[Ford Vedette]].<ref name="Stevenson"/>{{refpage|page=214}}

The first U.S.-produced postwar compact car was the 1950 [[Nash Rambler]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Bill |last=McGuire |title=America's First Postwar Compact: The 1950 Nash Rambler |url= https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/americas-first-postwar-compact-the-1950-nash-rambler/ |date=5 June 2018 |work= Mac's Motor City Garage |access-date=6 March 2024}}</ref> It was built on a {{convert|100|in|mm|0|adj=on}} wheelbase, which was nonetheless still a large car by contemporary European standards.<ref name="Stevenson"/>{{refpage|page=214}} The term "compact" was coined by a Nash executive as a euphemism for small cars with a wheelbase of {{convert|110|in|mm|0}} or less.<ref>{{cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Tom |title=Auto Mania: Cars, Consumers, and the Environment |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2007 |page=144 |isbn=978030011038-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Ward's automotive yearbook |publisher=Ward's Communications |location=Detroit |volume=22 |year=1960 |page=92 }}</ref> It established a new market segment and the U.S. automobile industry soon adopted the "compact" term.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=__JhCAAAQBAJ&q=Back+in+the+1950s,+the+Nash+Rambler+was+America's+first+small+car&pg=PT126 |title=In Search of the Obvious: The Antidote for Today's Marketing Mess |first=Jack |last=Trout |publisher=Wiley |year=2008 |isbn=9780470288597 |access-date=7 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=GW6jLldHjqsC&q=It+was+America's+first+compact+car,+and+to+get+a+name+for+it,+the+company+reached+back+almost+fifty+years+into+its+own+history.+1950+Nash+Rambler+was+a+historic+car+on+two+counts:+its+ancestry+and+its+small+size |page=115 |title=Car of the year, 1895-1970: a 75-year parade of American automobiles that made news |first=Henry Bolles |last=Lent |publisher=Dutton |year=1974 |isbn=9780525274513 |access-date=7 February 2016}}</ref>

Several competitors to the Nash Rambler arose from the ranks of America's other independent automakers, although none enjoyed the long-term success of the Rambler. Other early compact cars included the [[Henry J|Kaiser-Frazer Henry J]] (also re-badged as the [[Allstate (automobile)|Allstate]]), the [[Willys Aero]] and the [[Hudson Jet]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Jeff |title=Automotive History: The First Wave Compacts – The Pioneers Take The Arrows |url= http://www.curbsideclassic.com/automotive-histories/automotive-history-the-first-wave-compacts-the-pioneers-take-the-arrows/ |website=curbsideclassic.com |date=29 September 2011 |access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref>

In 1954, 64,500 cars sold in the U.S. were imports or small American cars, out of a total market of five million cars. Market research indicated that five percent of those surveyed said they would consider a small car, suggesting a potential market size of 275,000 cars.<ref name=Kranz>{{cite magazine|title=As the 1950s end, 'one size fits all' strategy gives way to Falcon, other economy cars |last=Kranz |first=Rick |magazine=Automotive News |date=16 June 2003 |pages=176–177}}</ref> By 1955, the Nash Rambler that began as a [[convertible]] model became a success and was now available in [[station wagon]], [[hardtop]], and [[sedan (car)|sedan]] body styles.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Donovan |first1=Leo |title=Detroit Listening Post |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=June 1955 |volume=103 |issue=6 |page=92 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Bd0DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA92 |access-date=12 January 2019}}</ref> During the [[Recession of 1958]], the only exception to the sales decline was American Motors with its compact, economy-oriented Ramblers that saw high demand among cautious consumers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gunn |first1=Malcolm |title=Today's compact cars trace roots to AMC's Rambler |url= https://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/american-motor-corp-s-rambler-predated-today-s-popular-compact-cars-1.4708103 |website=Newsday |date=26 February 2013 |access-date=12 January 2019}}</ref>

By 1959, sales of small imported cars also increased to 14% of the U.S. passenger car market, as consumers turned to compact cars.<ref>{{cite book |last=McCarthy |first=Tom |title=Auto Mania: Cars, Consumers, and the Environment |date=2007 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=9780300110388 |page=144 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr0nTRhwPJcC&pg=PA144 |access-date=12 January 2019}}</ref> By this time, smaller cars appealed to people with a college education and a higher income whose families were buying more than one car. Customers expected compact cars to provide improved fuel economy compared to full-sized cars while maintaining headroom, legroom, and plenty of trunk space.<ref name=Kranz/>

Between 1958 and 1960, the major U.S. car manufacturers made a push toward compact cars, resulting in the introduction of the [[Studebaker Lark]], [[Chevrolet Corvair]], [[Ford Falcon (North American)|Ford Falcon]], and [[Plymouth Valiant]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The New Compact Cars of the 1960s: Suddenly, Small Is In |url= https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/06/new-compact-cars-1960s-suddenly-small/ |website=saturdayeveningpost.com |date= 4 June 2018 |access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref> These models also gave rise to [[compact van]]s built on the compact car platforms, such as the Studebaker Zip Van,<ref>{{cite web |title=Sit or Stand: Rare 1963 First-Year Studebaker Zip Van |url=https://bringatrailer.com/2018/10/06/sit-or-stand-rare-1963-studebaker-zip-van/ |website=bringatrailer.com |access-date=19 January 2019 |date=6 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah: 1963 Studebaker USPS Zip Van |url= https://barnfinds.com/1963-studebaker-zip-van/ |website=barnfinds.com/ |access-date=19 January 2019 |date=15 June 2016}}</ref> [[Chevrolet Greenbrier|Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier]], [[Ford E-Series#First generation_(1961–1967)|Ford Econoline]], and [[Dodge A100]].