Well, Erik, I admit it is kind of an arbitrary and subjective segmentation, but I have these criteria in mind:
For 4/5-door cars:
1) Length < 3 m
2) Width < 1.4 m
3) Wheelbase < 2 m
4) Not usually identifiable with a unique manufacturer/origins unclear/different manufacturers claiming it to be their own car. i.e. commodification of the car. This is different from clear rebadges, where the OEM is identifiable (e.g. Scion iA made by Mazda)
5) Variability in specs, esp. dimensional specs, for the same vehicle, as reported by different manufacturers/sellers (lack of standards). Often same bodyshell with different front clips, rear lamps, door handles, etc. (cosmetic variability)
For 2/3-door cars, the length/wheelbase criteria will not be applicable, for instance, for Zhidou or Smart-like cars.
There are larger cars where the "commodification" criterion applies, like the numerous Benben Mini or Alto copies, but I would not consider them elderly scooters, but non-standard commodity cars.
Think of this situation as analogous to kit cars in the UK market. They are cars all right, but industry reports or analyses usually would not include them in any discussion about the "UK Auto Industry".
Some subjectivity is of course involved when deciding on the categorization of objects. It is not always strictly a technical discrimination. So, I hope you will excuse me for that.
Let us take the example of your own Chinese car Catalog. You have included MPVs, but you have not included the Maxus V80. Clearly, the SWB Low-roof Maxus V80 is similar in size, shape, and seating capacity to some of the MPVs included there, yet you chose to exclude it. Why? Is it because it is a van? If so, when does an MPV stop being an MPV and become a van? Or, in the case of pickups, why include the Dongfeng Hushi but not the Sokon K02?
Coming back to Byvin, in the case of the Byvin M3 (XiaoMai), I considered it a non-standard product because I have seen the same vehicle with different front ends, from other sellers as well, while browsing the various trade sites for LSEVs (ddc, taobao, baixing, alibaba/1688 etc.).
In the case of the M6, there is no ambiguity as a standard product since it is a rebadged Levdeo D50 and nothing else, attributable to a single manufacturer, Rainchst.
OK, this has been slightly rambling, so sorry for that. Apologies to readers not familiar with Erik's catalog (Please go ahead and get it, then!
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