Hatchbacks

While everyone is gearing up for the sales launch of the all new sixth-generation Golf hatchback later this year, the new Golf Plus, which will share the same face as the Mark VI Golf, is also due to the hit streets next year. The car was spotted testing in Germany back in May and earlier this...

One of the tuners at this year’s Essen Motor Show will be Italy’s TRC-Marangoni, which has modified the still-new Alfa Romeo Mi.To hatchback using the Ferrari F430 as its inspiration. Working with the Mi.To’s 1.4L T-Jet engine, Marangoni has boosted power up to 220hp (164kW)...

BMW released an updated version of the 1-series compact late last year and since then a suspicious prototype of the hatch has been captured running around German streets. At first appearance the car looks like an ordinary 1-series hatchback but look closer and you’ll notice several key...

The vagaries of the automotive market in the current economic situation are such that while some models, and even entire brands, sell poorly, some individual cars are going gangbusters. Thanks to its solid positioning as a functional, cute, inexpensive and efficient hatchback plus Honda's...

The 2010 Mazda3 Hatchback has been revealed. Click here for all the details and images. Mazda took the covers off the sedan version of the 2010 Mazda3 at this week’s Los Angeles Auto Show, and now it has released some official 'spy shots' of the upcoming five-door hatchback model. Despite...

Lexus is unlikely to launch a model positioned below the IS250 in the United States but that doesn’t mean it won’t develop a new entry-level car for other markets. One possibility is Europe, where premium hatchbacks sell in substantial numbers. The carmaker’s executive vice...

The European minicar segment has seen a number of new additions in the past 12 months, with cars like the second-generation Ford Ka and new Renault Twingo recently making their appearance. Competition is set to be rife with Toyota joining the ranks with its new iQ minicar and Volkswagen’s...

Though it was up against the likes of Godzilla, the tiny Toyota iQ has come out on top at the 2008 Japan Car of the Year (JCOTY) awards. The win is seen as a potential selling point against competition like Daimler's Smart ForTwo micro car, especially in a segment that's differentiated largely on...

The Volkswagen Scirocco may not be coming to the U.S. due to unfavorable exchange rates, but that doesn't make it any less interesting as a car. That's doubly true once it's seen the improving touch of a tuner, and the MCCHIP modifications add tastefully to the Scirocco, leaving its basic essence...

Volkswagen has confirmed today that its sporty R32 Golf won’t be offered in the United States in the 2009 model year. The information comes from company spokesman Thomas Wegehaupt, who said the main reason for dropping the model after only one year was because of the debut of the Mark VI Golf...

Small cars are the next step forward for better fuel economy and functional urban transport, and Ford has already announced it will be building six new models in Europe, and using them to broaden the U.S. lineup. One of those six is thought to be the all-new B-Max, designed to fit between the...

General Motors confirmed at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show that its Chevrolet Beat concept car would enter production in South Korea and eventually be sold in Asian and South American markets. While previously there was talk that a production version of the Beat could eventually be sold in...

Following the launch of the iQ minicar at the recent Paris Motor Show, Toyota has now announced final pricing and specifications for its striking minicar. The company has already started taking orders in the UK and other parts of Europe, and is currently offering two different trim levels. First...

Earlier this year we reported that General Motors could possibly delay the launch of the next-generation Saturn Aura, or possibly drop the model altogether, but according to GM vice chairman Bob Lutz the new car is on track albeit with some major changes. Lutz confirmed at the time that the Opel...

Saab is planning to launch a new compact car based on its recently-revealed 9-X BioHybrid concept vehicle in 2010 that will be aimed squarely at premium hatchbacks like the Mini Cooper and BMW 1-series. The model will likely be called the 9-1 and was originally thought to share the Delta II...

Lexmaul is a German tuner that specialises in modifying vehicles from General Motors, specifically those wearing Opel badges. The latest project from Lexmaul, however, hails from Sweden and is based on the stylish Volvo C30 three–door hatchback. Lexmaul has nicknamed the car...

Seat has released details for its facelifted Leon, which you can read about by clicking here. The second-generation Seat Leon hatch has only been in production for a little over three years but a heavily disguised prototype spied testing in Germany recently confirms that an updated model is in the...

With only a 10hp boost in power over the current model and no change in torque implemented for the next-generation Volkswagen Mark VI Golf GTI, fans of the hot-hatch would understandably be less than impressed with the new car’s numbers. According to latest reports, however, VW won’t be...

A mix of old and new, Golf's Mark VI GTI will also spawn some old, and some new, names when the first of three sporty versions makes its debut in October. Renewing the famous GTI, reviving the cult-favorite R brand and introducing the diesel GTD, VW is angling for just about every segment of the...

Hoping to share in the success of the growing minicar segment, Toyota is planning to release its new iQ minicar in Europe and Japan early next year following its debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. While there’s a chance the iQ may not be offered in the North American market due to its...