Hatchbacks

The latest Concept A-Class from Mercedes-Benz is the clearest indication yet as to what the automaker’s next-generation A-Class will look like, and the good news is that the production version of this one is likely to hit U.S. shores. Revealed today at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, and again...

Wrap your head around this: Italian tuning shop Aznom has put together a 230-horsepower Fiat 500 with a mid-engine, rear-drive layout. For no good reason except to do it--and the obvious performance potential. Weighing in at just 1,880 pounds, it's also a light little hatch. Toss in Bilstein...

So, yeah, the 2012 Chevy Sonic isn't exactly a tuner's main course. More like an hors d'ouevre. The Z-Spec accessories previewed here and on display at the 2011 New York Auto Show hope to change that. Odds are they won't, however, with the first two things touted in the announcement being "Color...

Since we first started capturing spy shots of the Hyundai Veloster in action, we've reported a turbocharged version was in the works, and that fact was confirmed at the Detroit Auto Show. Now, some of the first specs on the turbo Veloster have slipped out, and they're promising. The hot-hatch...

Full details on the 2011 Audi RS3 have been out for months now, including its brawny yet compact 340-horsepower turbocharged 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine, but today in Geneva, we got a good look at the car in person. It looks, well, hot, as a true hot hatch--even super-hatch--should. At a...

Leaks, teasers, previews...the Geneva Motor Show is gearing up to a fever pitch this year, and MINI wants to be part of the action. Its entrant to the concept category? The MINI Rocketman Concept. Positioned as a curious "3+1" seater with three doors and a scant 10-foot overall length, the...

As we first reported back in November, Lancia, the new European face of Chrysler, will be unveiling a new version of its Ypsilon minicar at next month's 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Today we have official images and details of the car, revealing a very similar design to its Delta big brother. The fourth...

We've known since November, 2009, that Chrysler was planning a B-segment car for the U.S. in 2013. The news was revealed in Chrysler's five-year business plan, which confirmed the car would be imported from Europe, aimed at the premium small-car segment, and that it would be accompanied by a small...

We already know the new BMW X1 will be coming with BMW's four-cylinder TwinPower turbo engine later this year, but today at the Washington Auto Show BMW USA boss Jim O'Donnell announced that more than one is in fact coming before year's end. Other BMW models expected to get the four-cylinder...

Last October the Web was buzzing with talk of a quattro all-wheel-drive version of the Audi A1. With the 2011 Detroit Auto Show winding down today, talk of the quattro A1 has resurfaced, and with it, our hopes for a proper S1. The lack of quattro was a major factor in not giving the A1 1.4 TFSI the...

Lackluster is perhaps the best description for Lexus' hybrid offerings thus far, with the RX 450h and HS 250h returning unimpressive efficiency and high prices. The 2011 CT 200h aims to change that with a starting price of $29,995 including delivery. At 42 mpg combined EPA-rated fuel economy, the...

Wanting what we can't have is a common thread in the shared human experience, and the thread has rarely been stronger for us than in the case of the Audi RS 3 Sportback. Hatchback? Check. Hot? Check. All-wheel drive? Check. It ticks all the boxes. This video includes tons of static footage of the...

MINI is big on customization. And as a child brand of BMW these days, it looks like the taste for art cars has trickled down as well. The latest creation from the brand is a Paul Weller-designed Cooper to be sold for charity. The pink-and-black car from the British mod rocker was hand-painted by...

Yet another reason to be jealous of our European counterparts, lovers of all things fast and small may get a special treat from Audi come 2012: an RS-badged A1. All-wheel drive, a turbo 2.0-liter borrowed from the Golf GTI and some serious suspension and appearance tweaks could make for an awesome...

An all-electric minicar, a New New Beetle, and a sporty convertible--the Volkswagen Up! platform, which will be the basis for the next-generation Lupo, could spawn all of these, and more. Today we have new spy shots of the prototype testing in Europe, revealing little, but confirming much. The car...

These two videos give us a look at what a pro rally driver thinks about the RS500.

We've been perplexed by Lexus' "dark side of green" motif for the 2011 CT 200h ever since it was unveiled at the New York Auto Show this year, and even after getting a look at the interactive "Dark Ride" movie, we're left, well, in the dark. And not in a good way. The mission behind the interactive...

Hot hatches. The Europeans love them, we--as a whole--apparently hate them, and consequently we can only stare and envy from afar. Today, the green-eyed monster stokes the fire of jealousy to white hot with the early release of the Ford Motor Company [NYSE:F] Focus RS500, a 345-horsepower...

Wanting what we can't have is a natural state of things, especially among the hot-hatch-loving crowd of Focus fans. The Focus RS, ST and now the soon-to-come RS500 all tantalize with their power, handling, and relative accessibility. The latest fruit of the forbidden tree boasts 350 horsepower, and...

Fans of Italian styling are anxiously awaiting Fiat and Alfa Romeo's full scale return to the U.S. now that the alliance deal between the Italian auto giant and Chrysler has been well and truly signed off but sadly, the wait may have to last a few more years still. According to Fiat Group CEO...