The minicar segment almost halved in 2022 from a recent high of 1.2 million in 2017 as more volume manufacturers axed their smallest combustion-engine models in a bid to both cap rising costs and reduce average fleet carbon dioxide levels.
The segment's sales decreased 21 percent to 677,496 in an overall market that was down 4.3 percent last year, according to market researcher Dataforce.
During 2022 minicars such as the Citroen C1, Peugeot 108 and Smart ForFour were withdrawn from the market, joining a long list of axed nameplates that includes the Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii, Ford Ka, Opel/Vauxhall Adam, Opel Karl and Suzuki Celerio.
More core models are scheduled to join the list of departures.