At the start of the 1970s, the two most popular sectors of the UK market{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} were small family cars and [[D-segment|large family cars]]. SinceFrom its launch in 1962, the [[BMC ADO16|BMC 1100/1300]] hadwas often been Britain's best selling car,;<ref>{{cite web |title=BMC 1100/1300 development story – the car that shaped 1960s Britain |url=https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/bmc-cars/1100-1300/ado16-development-story/ |website=www.aronline.co.uk |access-date=12 January 2019 |date=17 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Buyer's Guide BMC 1100 & 1300 / ADO16 Britain's best-selling |url=https://drive-my.com/en/retro-carss/item/2299-buyer-s-guide-bmc-1100-1300-ado16-britain-s-best-selling.html |website=www.drive-my.com |date=9 February 2016 |access-date=12 January 2019 |language=en-gb}}</ref> and other locally produced compact cars included the [[Ford Escort (Europe)#First generation (1967–1975)|Ford Escort]], [[Vauxhall Viva#HA Viva (1963–1966)|Vauxhall Viva]] and [[Hillman Avenger]]. Imported small family cars that were popular in the UK included the [[Citroën GS]] and [[Nissan Sunny|Datsun Sunny 120Y]].
[[British Leyland]] replaced the BMC 1100/1300 with a variety of models;: the 1969 [[Austin Maxi]], the 1971 [[Morris Marina]], and the 1973 [[Austin Allegro]].
A second-generation Ford Escort (jointly designed in Britain and Germany) was released in 1974. The same year, the German [[Volkswagen Golf]] front-wheel-drive hatchback was released, becoming one of the first significantly-imported small family cars in the UK market. The sporty "GTI" version of the Golf sparked a huge demand for "hot hatches" in the UK and many other countries.
The third-generation Vauxhall Viva was produced until late 1979, when it was replaced by the [[Vauxhall Astra#First generation (1979-1984)|Vauxhall Astra]] (a rebadged [[Opel Kadett#Kadett D (1979–1984)|Opel Kadett D]] which was initially produced in West Germany and Belgium).
The Astra was part of a late-1970s transition in small family cars from being predominantly [[rear-wheel drive|rear-wheel-drive]] [[sedan (automobile)|saloon]]s, to becoming [[front-wheel drive|front-wheel-drive]] [[hatchback]]s (by then increasingly popular in mainland Europe). The Austin Allegro -– introduced five years earlier -– was front-wheel-drive, but was built in only saloon and [[station wagon|estate]] body styles. Only the related [[Austin Maxi]] was a hatchback.
The Hillman Avenger (marketed as a Chrysler Avenger 1976-19791976–1979 and as a Talbot Avenger 1979-19811979–1981) continued to sell well,{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} in spite of the 1978 launch of the [[Simca-Talbot Horizon#Horizon in the UK|Talbot Horizon]] front-wheel-drive hatchback.
