Hatchbacks

It was only at last month’s 2014 Geneva Motor Show that Mazda rolled out its next-gen Mazda 2-previewing Hazumi concept car, and now we have the first spy shots of a prototype for the new subcompact. The prototype was spotted in central Europe and is in the final stages of development, as...

The essence of the classic Mini Cooper is easy to define: it's endearingly small. What happens when you mess with the "small" part? In more than a decade since Mini transformed into MINI, its makers have laid progressively larger patches on the road with models like the Clubman, the Paceman and the...

Gordon Murray is best-known for his work on the McLaren F1 supercar more than two decades ago, and as a top Formula One designer before that, but he's spent the last few years showing he can turn his attention to more realistic--if less exciting--projects too. The first fruits of that labor were...

Following yesterday’s sighting of a facelifted Ford Focus ST, we now have spy shots of a facelifted version of the regular Focus. Both are expected to hit the market in the second half of next year, as 2015 models. The current, European-designed Focus went on sale in the U.S. in 2012 but...

For the 2012 motorsport season, Audi introduced an enhanced version of its R18 Le Mans prototype dubbed the R18 ultra. Unlike the R18 e-tron quattro that was also introduced for the 2012 season, the R18 ultra’s development was completely focused on lightweight construction. We then saw Audi...

We've been keeping close tabs on the new 2014 Mazda 3 for months, including spy shots galore, and now it's finally here. The third-generation compact hatchback and sedan from Mazda, which together are the brand's best-selling vehicle, are entirely new for 2014. There's the latest Mazda design...

The 2014 Ford Fiesta ST offers an impressive combination of performance and price, outdoing the Fiat 500 Abarth, Chevy Sonic RS, and Mini Cooper S on the numbers, and, based on our first driving impressions, possibly on the road as well. Ford this morning confirmed several choice statistics about...

The idea of packing a very powerful engine into a very small car—especially a car originally designed with frugality in mind—isn’t by any means a new formula. It’s been done over and over again, over decades, to spice up lineups and add bragging rights. And while some...

Though Kia has, on occasion, missed the mark with vehicles in the United States (such as its Borrego SUV), there’s no denying that its Soul “urban passenger vehicle” is a solid hit that seems to defy demographics. Though pitched at Millennial buyers, we’ve seen plenty of...

On May 25, MINI will be supporting the Life Ball AIDS charity event for the 13th consecutive year, with a MINI Paceman created especially for the event by designer Roberto Cavalli. Cavalli joins such past notable designers as Franca Sozzani (2012); DSQUARED² (2011); Diane von Furstenberg...

BMW's Gran Turismo take on a roomier, more useful vehicle somewhere between a sedan and a wagon wasn't all that well received, at least aesthetically, when it first showed up as a conceptual variant of the 5-Series in 2009. Now, the 3-Series has its own Gran Turismo. Does it work any better in this...

Like it or not, BMW will be launching a new mid-size hatch with the form factor something along the lines of a smaller 5-Series Gran Turismo. Whether it will be called the 3-Series Gran Turismo or come as a new model, remains unclear. Whatever it's called, this is what it will look like. Two...

In the world of almost pointlessly powerful front-wheel-drive cars, Bisimoto Engineering is a legend. Wringing unbelievable herds of horses from pint-sized engines, the Bisimoto team continues its magic, pulling 600-plus horsepower out of a 1.8-liter Hyundai Elantra GT for SEMA. Based on the...

After announcing in May that it would call on Austrian independent vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr to build its upcoming compact car, believed to be a production version of 2011’s Etherea concept, Infiniti has now announced it will build the car itself. The decision was made following the...

If you want to get your hands on a Volvo C30 hatchback, we’d advise you not to wait much longer. In order to “better position Volvo for the future,” the automaker will discontinue C30 production in December, ending the compact hatch with the 2013 model year. Volvo’s official...

When you’re Jay Leno, taking delivery of the first or second customer car in country is generally as easy as picking up the phone and saying, “I’ll need one of those for my collection, as close to the first production model as possible.” Such was the case with The Tonight...

Since the original Renault Clio was launched in 1990, the compact car has racked up sales of some 11.5 million units in 115 countries. It’s won the Car of the Year Award twice (in 1991 and in 2006), and is available in variants to satisfy nearly every type of driver. In fact, the only thing...

How does a $23,000, 201-horsepower Hyundai Veloster grab you? Great, right? You'd be surprised how challenging it is to other front-drive fans. It sounds silly, even ridiculous, to those who bow to the old school of hot hatchbacks. But it has to worry them, too. Sign up: Get our best headlines...

If there's a poster car for the 'One Ford' mantra, it might just be the new 2013 Ford Focus ST. Without Ford's initiative to consolidate global development for same-sized vehicles under single development teams—and models that will work in all major markets—it's likely we'd never have...

We caught our first glimpse of the 2013 Audi A3 when images leaked onto the internet last month, but the model finally made its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The new A3 is instantly recognisable as an Audi - the deep, confident grille, LED-equipped lights and clean lines from nose...