Hatchbacks

The Hyundai Veloster seemed like a safe bet in the automotive death pool. Here was an odd, not very useful hatchback that wasn’t very good to drive from a brand that desperately needed crossovers and SUVs. Killing it seemed like a no-brainer. Instead, it has been redesigned. The 2019 Hyundai...

The new 2019 Mini Cooper hatchback and convertible broke cover Tuesday, lifted straight from the pages of "If It Ain't Broke." Not much on the new model has changed, aside from small touches on the front bumper, Union Jack on the taillights outside, new logos, and bigger touchscreen infotainment on...

Hyundai’s Veloster is a great deal of fun for buyers on a budget. It offers agile handling, punchy performance and decent space—all for a reasonable starting price of about $18,000. Soon, a sharp-looking successor will arrive. The new Veloster is due for a debut at this month's 2018...

Mini’s third-generation Hardtop is encroaching on the midway point in its life cycle and will soon be updated to keep it looking and feeling fresh. A prototype for the updated model has just been spotted ahead of a likely debut early next year. We should see it arrive in showrooms as a 2019...

The decision to do away with a sedan shape and offer the 2018 Buick Regal as a hatchback (called Sportback) and a wagon (called Tour X) is an odd one at first blush. After all, mid-size sedans traditionally have been among the strongest selling vehicles, while hatchbacks and especially wagons have...

A prototype for the next-generation Ford Focus has been spotted again, and this time it's wearing its final skin. This suggests the reveal is coming up soon. The car represents the fourth generation of the Focus nameplate and is expected on sale next fall, as a 2019 model. And this time around Ford...

You're not alone in scratching your head at the idea of a high-performance Kia, especially one that looks as good as the 2018 Stinger. One look through the spec sheet should get your attention: a choice of turbo-4 and twin-turbo V-6 engines, rear- or all-wheel drive, and an 8-speed automatic...

To Porsche enthusiasts, the Panamera may be heresy. The engine is up front instead of mounted in the middle or the rear. The Panamera debuted in 2010 and immediately became the brand's second-best selling car. Heresy be damned. Now in its second generation, the 2018 Panamera atones for some of the...

Every year at Motor Authority we drive hundreds of vehicles to tell you what's best—swank luxury sedans to hypercars that chew through miles. This year we had a wide-ranging mix including a superb Porsche Panamera, a stunning Lexus LC 500, an upstart Kia Stinger GT that we loved to drive. But...

When Audi decided to take its diminutive A1, it probably figured that an S variant would soon follow. The automaker probably never considered, however, that someone would buy an S1 and stuff a set of tracks in the wheel wells. Someone did, and all we can say is that we want to give it a go...

As if the Ford Focus RS's famed "Drift Mode" isn't enough, Ford Performance used the 2017 SEMA show to reveal its next supplement to on-demand sideways action: the Drift Stick, a Ken Block-approved electronically controlled performance handbrake you can retrofit to the Focus RS. Rally cars utilize...

Volkswagen in the summer unveiled a new generation of its Polo subcompact. The most potent model is the Polo GTI with 197 horsepower on tap, but an even spicier Polo R has not been ruled out. The German automaker unveiled a prototype Polo R in 2014. The car was based on the previous-generation Polo...

Mazda on Wednesday at the 2017 Tokyo Motor Show unveiled a pair of concepts that preview upcoming technologies and design themes. One of these is in the form of a compact hatch and is essentially an early look at the next-generation Mazda 3. We’ve already driven a prototype for the next-gen...

It's time to pour one out for Volkswagen's long-running two-door hatchback "coupe," the Scirocco. Volkswagen officially announced the Scirocco's demise and said it will not take additional orders for the car. Customers still seeking their own example will have to scour local European dealerships...

When Nissan unveiled the redesigned 2018 Nissan Leaf in September, the automaker confirmed a sportier version to be dubbed the Leaf Nismo would be happening but gave no definite timetable as to when we'd see such a car. Nissan only said it would come “eventually.” Now we know Nissan...

Kia on Tuesday revealed a stunning fastback called the Proceed concept. On show this week at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, we’re sad to report the concept doesn’t preview a new model line. Rather, it signals a new body style for one of the Korean brand’s existing models...

Suzuki bowed out of the U.S. market in late 2012. Its final products were actually well-built machines in the Kizashi mid-size sedan and SX4 compact hatchback. The problem was that no one was buying them, you couldn't find a dealership even if you wanted to buy one, and brand awareness on the auto...

Renault’s newest rival to the Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf R has finally been revealed. The car is a new generation of the Mégane RS, and it’s due on sale in markets where the French brand’s cars are sold in the spring of 2018. The debut took place...

Mini is hinting at a new generation of its John Cooper Works GP with a concept on show this week at the 2017 Frankfurt International Motor Show. For those unfamiliar with the GP badge, it denotes a vehicle one step above the John Cooper Works grade. Mini tends to use it towards the end of the...

BMW Group’s Mini brand was an early pioneer of mainstream electric cars. Some readers will recall the brand leased the Hardtop-based Mini E electric car on a trial basis late last decade to help gather feedback from the public. The BMW Group used the feedback for the i3 launched in 2014. But...