Car body style

thumb|Profiles of a [[sedan (automobile)| sedan, station wagon and hatchback versions of the same model (a first-generation Ford Focus)]]

There are many types of car body styles. They vary depending on intended use, market position, location, and the era they were made.

Current styles

Buggy

thumb|Volkswagen Country Buggy

Lightweight off-road vehicle with sparse bodywork. Originally two- or four-wheeled carriages in the 19th and early 20th centuries pulled by one horse, the motorized buggies were developed in the 1960s and grew in popularity and diversity.

Convertible / cabriolet

thumb|[[Chrysler Sebring|Chrysler Sebring JS convertible with top down]]

Has a retractable or removable roof. A convertible allows an open-air driving experience, with the ability to provide a roof when required. Most convertible roofs are either a folding textile soft-top or a retractable metal roof. Convertibles with a metal roof are sometimes called 'retractable hardtop', 'coupé convertible', or 'coupé cabriolet'.

Coupé

thumb|1987 Cadillac Coupe Deville

Two-door car, seating up to four persons. Some two-door cars have only two seats, thus two-seaters.

Coupe SUV

thumb| [[BMW X6#E71|first-generation BMW X6]]

Type of SUV with a sloping roofline similar to fastback cars, That is often adopted to offer a styling advantage compared to standard SUVs. Manufacturers often sell them as more premium models than their standard SUV counterparts.

Crossover/crossover SUV/crossover utility vehicle (CUV)

thumb|[[Hyundai Santa Fe]]

Vehicle with a higher ground clearence and larger space, That is built in a unibody platform shared with standard cars. Originally a North American term used for vehicles that blend characteristics between two types, it evolved to be a term for SUVs built in a unibody chassis, Even though the term SUV is used to refer both to crossovers and standard SUVs due to their visual similarities.

Fastback

thumb|Porsche 356

Car with a roofline that slopes continuously down at the back. The design features a single unbroken convex curve from the roof to the rear.

Flower car

thumb|Cadillac Flower car

Used in the U.S. in the funeral industry to carry flowers for burial services. Typically a coupé-style, forward-passenger compartment with an open well in the rear.

Hatchback

thumb|[[Renault Clio hatchback]]

Car with a hatch-type rear door that is hinged at the roof and opens upwards. The term "hatchback" can also refer to that type of rear door, which is also used on several sports cars, SUVs, and large luxury cars.

Hearse / funeral coach

thumb|[[Hearse|Cadillac Hearse ]]

The modification of a passenger car to provide a long cargo area for carrying a coffin or casket. Hearses often have large glass panels for viewing the coffin.

Crossover sedan/High Riding Sedan

thumb|[[Toyota_Crown#S235|Toyota Crown Crossover]]

A vehicle that combines characteristics and styling of a sedan with a higher ground clearence, Similar to a crossover.

Kammback / kamm tail / K-tail

thumb|1969 Fiat 850 Coupe Kammback

A Kammback is a car where the rear slopes downwards before being abruptly cut off with a vertical or near vertical surface. This reduces the aerodynamic drag, improving the efficiency, while the stil keeping its traditional shape.

Liftback

thumb|1973 [[Toyota Celica liftback ]]

Variant of a hatchback where the roof line and the rear cargo door are more horizontal than vertical.

Limousine

thumb|Lincoln Stretch Limousine

A luxury-type vehicle that is typically driven by a chauffeur with a partition between the driver's compartment and the passenger's compartment. Limousines may also be stretched to provide more room in the rear passenger compartment. In some European usage, the word describes a regular four-door sedan body style.

Microvan

thumb|[[Daihatsu Hijet microvan]]

The smallest size of minivan/MPV.

Minivan / multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) / people carrier / people mover

thumb|[[Toyota Sienna minivan ]]

Vehicle designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s) with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. Typically has a combined passenger and cargo area, a high roof, a flat floor, a sliding door for rear passengers, and high H-point seating. In Europe, some small minivans have been marketed as 'leisure activity vehicles'.

Notchback

thumb|[[Volkswagen Type 3|VW Type 3 notchback ]]

Car with a distinct rear section, With the back of the passenger compartment being in an angle to the top of what is generally the baggage compartment.

Panel van / car-derived van / sedan delivery

thumb| Austin 35 van

A cargo vehicle based upon passenger car chassis and typically has one row of seats with no side windows at the rear. A panel van is smaller than a panel truck or cargo van and is often built on a car platform.

Panel truck

thumb|1940s Dodge [[panel truck in Australia]]

A panel truck is a larger version of the panel van and is often built on a heavier platform.

Pickup truck / pickup

thumb|[[Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew]]

A light-duty, open-bed truck. In South Africa, a pickup truck is called a "bakkie".

Roadster

thumb|[[BMW Z3 roadster]]

An open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. Initially, an American term for a two-seat car with no weather protection, usage has spread internationally and has evolved to include two-seat convertibles.

Sedan / saloon

thumb|[[Toyota Camry sedan]]

A fixed-roof car in a three-box design. These form separate compartments for engine, passenger, and cargo. Sedans can have two or four doors. A sedan is called a "berlina" in Spanish and Italian, or a "berline" in French.

Shooting-brake

thumb|[[Volvo 1800 ES]]

Initially, a horse-drawn vehicle used to carry shooting parties with their equipment and game; subsequently synonymous with station wagon / estate car; and in contemporary usage a three- or five-door wagon combining features of a station wagon and a coupé.

Sport Utility Vehicle/SUV

thumb|[[Toyota Land Cruiser SUV ]]

Type of vehicle that combines characteristics of a passenger car with a offroad vehicle, like higher ground clearence and four wheel drive.

Station wagon / estate car

thumb|[[Buick Roadmaster station wagon]]

Has a two-box design, a large cargo area, and a rear tailgate that is hinged to open for access to the cargo area. The body style is similar to a hatchback car; however, station wagons are longer and are more likely to have the roofline extended to the rear of the car

Also a marketing term used on cars built in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s.

Barchetta

thumb|Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina

Italian two-seat sports car with either an open-top or convertible roof. The term was originally used for lightweight open-top racing cars from the late 1940s through the 1950s. Since the 1950s, the name barchetta ("little boat" in Italian) has been revived on several occasions, mostly for cars with convertible roofs that are not specifically intended for racing.

Berlinetta

thumb|250px|[[Ferrari 250#250 GT Berlinetta_SWB|Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta SWB]]

Italian sports coupé, typically with two seats but also including 2+2 cars. The original meaning for berlinetta in Italian is "little saloon."

Cabrio coach

thumb|A [[Ford Eifel cabrio coach]]

A retractable textile roof, similar to a convertible/cabriolet. The difference is that where a convertible often has the B-pillar, C-pillar, and other bodywork removed, the cabrio-coach retains all bodywork to the top of the door frames and just replaces the roof skin with a retractable fabric panel. Some modern cars, Like the Fiat 500 (2007), featured this body style.

Coupé de ville / Sedanca de ville / town car

thumb|1925 [[Hispano-Suiza Type H.6]]

An external or open-topped driver's position and an enclosed compartment for passengers. Produced from 1908 until 1939. Although the different terms may have once had specific meanings for certain car manufacturers or countries, the terms are often used interchangeably.

Some coupé de villes have the passengers separated from the driver in a fully enclosed compartment, while others have a canopy for the passengers and no partition between the driver and the passengers (therefore passengers enter the compartment via the driver's area).

Hardtop

thumb|1963 [[Rambler American two-door hardtop]]

Usually describes pillarless hardtops that are cars without a B-pillar often styled to give the appearance of a convertible. Popular in the United States from the mid 1950s through the mid 1970s.

It also refers to a separate top that is removable and made of metal or other hard material for sports cars or small SUVs.

Landaulet

thumb|right|1966 [[Rolls-Royce Phantom V State Landaulet]]

A car where the rear passengers are covered by a convertible top. Often the driver is separated from the rear passengers with a partition, as per a limousine.

Personal luxury car

thumb|1989 [[Buick Riviera personal luxury car ]]

American luxury coupés and convertibles produced from 1952 to 2007. The cars prioritized comfort, styling, and a high level of interior features.

Phaeton

thumb|1897 [[Daimler Company|Daimler Grafton phaeton]]

An open-roof automobile without any fixed weather protection, which was popular from the 1900s until the 1930s.

Roadster utility

thumb|1937 Willys Roadster utility

An open-topped roadster body and a rear cargo bed.

Runabout

thumb|1903 [[Oldsmobile Curved Dash Runabout]]

A light, inexpensive, open car with basic bodywork and no windshield, top, or doors. Most runabouts had just a single row of seats, providing seating for two passengers.

Torpedo

thumb|1914 [[Humber Limited|Humber 11 torpedo]]

Body style was a type of automobile body used from 1908 until the mid-1930s, which had a streamlined profile and a folding or detachable soft top. The design consists of a hood or bonnet line raised to be level with the car's waistline, resulting in a straight beltline from front to back.

Touring

thumb|1913 [[Maxwell automobile|Maxwell Model 24-4 touring car]]

A style of open car built in the United States that seats four or more people. The style was popular from the early 1900s to the 1930s.