Hatchbacks

When BMW first previewed its 2-Series Active Tourer back in 2012 with the Concept Active Tourer, it chose to fit the vehicle with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, suggesting that a gasoline-electric setup would be offered in the production version. Now we’re getting our first look at the plug-in...

Peugeot has just introduced a GTI version of its 308 hatchback that comes in 250- and 270-horsepower guises. However, the French automaker is planning a much more potent version of the popular compact car, a prototype for which has been teased. The prototype is for a production version of the 308 R...

Two stars from the new Ford Performance lineup, the 2016 Mustang Shelby GT350R and Focus RS, took on the famous hill climb during this past weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. In the first video is the Mustang, driven by Ben Collins, professional racing driver and former Stig. It...

Even in this era of engine downsizing and ever-present fuel economy and emissions regulations, the power wars are alive and well. Audi fired the last shot in the hot hatch arena when it lobbed its RS 3 on the market with a 362-horsepower rating, and now Mercedes-AMG has retaliated with an updated...

The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] has made big promises to blow your enthusiast face off as of late. The Blue Oval is certainly delivering too, with the arrival of a new GT supercar, a new Raptor performance pickup, and the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R duo. There's one machine noticeably absent...

Mercedes-Benz’s current A-Class made its debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, and an updated version of the stylish hatch is due to go on sale in select markets towards the end of this year, the U.S. not being one of them. A formal debut for the updated A-Class range is scheduled for...

Here in the U.S., we only get the Chevrolet Cruze as a sedan but overseas there are hatchback and wagon bodystyles as well. Not offering the hatch in the U.S. is something General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] product chief Mark Reuss once called “a pre-bankruptcy planning mistake,” a...

Subaru has unveiled its second hybrid though right now it’s only been confirmed for the Japanese market. The car is the Impreza Sport Hybrid, and it joins the previous XV CrossTrek Hybrid in Subaru’s slowly expanding electrified lineup. While it features the word “sport” in...

Infiniti’s first-ever compact car, the Q30 hatchback, has been confirmed for a debut at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show, which gets underway September 15. It was at the German show two years ago that Infiniti first previewed the Q30 with a thinly-veiled concept version, and at this year’s...

The Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Focus ST and Volkswagen GTI better watch out as French automaker Peugeot has unveiled a new 308 GTI that delivers upwards of 270 horsepower. The car is the high-performance variant of Peugeot’s 308 compact range and its development was handled together with the...

Infiniti’s upcoming Q30 and QX30 compacts are nearing the end of their long gestation, with a debut of at least one of the models, most likely the Q30 hatch, due to take place at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The QX30 crossover will likely appear towards the end of the year...

Fiat will unveil an updated version of its 500 hatchback on July 4th. This particular date has great significance for Fiat—no, not because of Independence Day—as it was on July 4th of 2007 that the current 500 was first introduced and it was on the same day back in 1957 that the...

Volkswagen is making moves to shorten its vehicle life cycles from seven to five years (with a mid-cycle update after the first three years) in an attempt to keep up with its American and Asian rivals. The first of its models to adopt this shorter life cycle will be the Golf, which is expected to...

Volkswagen shocked many when it rolled out its 395-horsepower Golf R 400 concept back at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. But what was more shocking was that the wild concept was quickly confirmed for production. Now we have our first look at what’s almost certain to be a prototype for the...

For decades, enthusiasts have fawned over and flocked to the Volkswagen GTI. Sure, it’s gotten bigger, heavier, and more technologically advanced, but it’s still remained the enthusiasts' choice--the original hot hatchback. But lately, the competition’s getting more fierce with...

Come June of next year Volkswagen’s GTI will have turned 40 and just as it did when the GTI turned 30 and then again when the popular hot hatch turned 35, the German automaker will have something special planned. That special something will be a production version of this GTI Clubsport...

Mercedes-Benz is preparing a subtle facelift for its A-Class compact hatch sold overseas, and that means the high-performance A45 variant developed by Mercedes-AMG will receive the same round of updates. But beyond the visual tweaks common to the updated A-Class, we hear Mercedes-AMG’s...

The third-generation Smart car made its world debut last summer, in both two-door ForTwo and four-door ForFour bodystyles. The car has now made its U.S. debut, appearing at the 2015 New York Auto Show, but only the ForTwo has arrived. It goes on sale this fall, as a 2016 model. The platform of the...

Come spring 2016, the Ford Motor Company’s [NYSE:F] new Focus RS will be sitting in dealerships all across the country. You don't have to wait until then to get a good, close-up look at the car, however, as Ford's presented the U.S.-spec version at this week’s 2015 New York Auto Show...

Lately, there have been rumors Honda’s version of the Civic compact hatch sold overseas will be offered in the U.S. in the near future, raising hopes that the Civic Type R performance flagship will come with it. Things really heated up when a prototype for the new Civic Type R was spotted...