2013-present Maserati Ghibli
Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Depending on local public transport quality, they can also be faster and far more convenient than using executive buses, executive bicycles or executive trains (steam-powered, diesel-powered, electric-powered, monorail or light rail), Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and smaller than luxury saloons / full-size luxury sedans but relatively less than a executive lorry or a executive bus.
The term has also been adopted by Euro NCAP, a European organization founded to test for car safety.
Background[]
The term was coined in the 1960s to describe cars targeted at successful professionals and middle-to-senior managers. It was used by businesses as an incentive for employees in senior roles and to exploit Britain and Europe's tax schemes as a company owned vehicle. Early executive cars typically offered engines with displacements of 2.0–3.5 L (122–214 cu in), compared with 1.6–2.4 L (98–146 cu in) for an equivalent sized—but less luxurious—"large family car".
Prior to the 1990s, executive cars were typically sedans, however in recent years they have also been produced in other body styles, such as estates (station wagons), convertibles, coupés, and five-door hatch versions.[4] They typically need to be "comfortable, refined and display some form of driving pleasure" on occasion.
Body styles[]
In general, executive cars are 4-door saloons. Some manufacturers seek to differentiate their offerings by making them as estate variants, or with 5-door hatchback bodies—in particular Rover, Saab, Renault and Citroën formerly have been known to prefer such body styles, with Ford also offering such models through the 1990s, and Audi and BMW have recently offered such body styles for their executive cars. Until the 1990s, some models [which?] were also available as 2-door coupés.