Hatchbacks

Just as Mini did with its Challenge racing series, Fiat will be launching a new competition for its 500 minicar called the 5Hundred Cup. The new series is being sponsored by Speedway Communications together with Fiat and will official launch at a ceremony planned to take place at the Vallelunga...

Seat is planning to launch its next-generation Ibiza compact in the next twelve months but before the redesigned hatch arrives officials will be displaying a new concept that’s said to preview the upcoming production model. The new concept is called the Bocanegra and it will be appearing at...

As embargoes go the way of the dodo, so pictures of concept cars come fresh to our doorstep. The latest casualty: the VW Golf TDI Hybrid. Due for its Geneva debut later this week, the Golf TDI Hybrid puts the Toyota Prius on notice in nearly every respect. A new player is in town. While the hybrid...

Saab has finally taken the wraps off its new 9-X BioHybrid concept car ahead of its official reveal later today at the Geneva Motor Show. The new car is a preview of a new entry-level model from Saab that’s likely to go into production early next year as the new 9-1. The concept also...

Mazda has unveiled a rally-ready Mazda2 at the 2008 Melbourne Motor Show. Dubbed the Mazda 2 Extreme, the car is the fourth model in the line of 'extreme' cars created by Mazda Motorsport in Australia. While the engine is still under development for the Mazda2 Extreme, the plan is to increase the...

Last year Alfa Romeo burst onto the supercar scene with its deliciously daring 8C Competizione. Smooth, flowing original lines spoke of a redefinition of the company's styling language. And the upcoming Alfa Romeo hatch, nicknamed Mito, will share that language - one universally understood as...

A Peugeot 308 HDi driven on a 25 day journey around Australia has entered the Guinness book of records for setting two new fuel economy records. Driven by John and Helen Taylor, the car broke both the ‘Round Australia Diesel Economy World Record’ as well as the overall ‘Round...

Updated: Mitsubishi today revealed its Protoype-S concept due in Geneva next week. The new high-res pictures detail the exterior and interior of the hatchback Lancer. Aimed squarely at arch-rival Subaru's WRX hatch, the new Protoype-S looks well-armed for the fight. Read on for the gallery and full...

As much as we like to read and talk about V12-powered exotics and twin-turbo track stars, for a large majority these cars will forever remain the stuff of dreams. The more realistic option for a significant number of performance enthusiasts is tiny economical runabouts with equally tiny...

Volkswagen has given us an early look at some of the styling elements of its upcoming Scirocco hatch with the release of these new teaser images on the official microsite for the new car. Expected to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the new model will officially go on sale in...

Small cars are hot commodities this year as oil prices skyrocket over $100/bbl in the U.S., emissions standards creep ever higher and electric vehicles begin nipping at the edges of the public consciousness as a real possibility. Despite the seemingly short future for petrol-powered cars, small and...

More reports about Subaru planning a high-performance diesel powered Impreza have emerged, the latest claiming the new car could even be called an STI. Subaru recently took the wraps off its new 2.0L horizontally opposed turbodiesel engine, debuting in the Legacy, and the engine is now set to make...

After watching BMW reap profits in the premium minicar segment with its Mini range for years, rival carmakers are now rushing to develop small runabouts to capture their own part of the lucrative market. Volkswagen Group has already shown us the Audi A1 Metroproject and VW up! concepts, and...

The latest variation of the volume A4 model, the all-new Avant wagon, will be on display at next month’s Geneva Motor Show where it will be making its worldwide debut before going on sale in just over a month. Based on the same technology layout as the sedan, the new Avant gets the same newly...

Peugeot plans to unveil two new 308 models at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, the 308 SW wagon and the sporty 308 GT THP 175. The new sporty GT hatch gets the same 1.6L turbo-charged THP engine that appeared in the 207 GTI THP 175 from last year and once again develops a peak output of 175hp...

Fiat first displayed its rejuvenated Abarth brand at last year’s Geneva Motor Show with the unveiling of the Grande Punto Abarth S2000 racer concept. It quickly followed this up with another concept, the Punto Abarth SS (Super Sport) at the Frankfurt Motor Show that same year, and now we have...

BMW has been winning accolades for shoehorning its 300hp twin-turbo six into the tiny 1-series range and Audi, too, has been offering torquey V6 engines in its A3 hatchbacks for years, but the closest competitor Mercedes-Benz has to these sporty compacts are the rather mundane A and B-Class line of...

Alfa Romeo recently ran an internet poll asking fans from around the world to vote for a possible new name for its upcoming entry-level model. The final name that was picked was the controversial ‘Furiosa’ but Alfa officials were quick to point out that the new name wouldn’t be...

If you were disappointed by VW’s decision not to shoehorn its potent 3.6L V6 into the Golf then you'll be glad to hear German company HGP has gone ahead and done it. However, not content with the 300hp output of the naturally aspirated mill, the tuner has added a pair of turbochargers and...

GM will soon have a new compact car in Europe with the launch of the new three-door Aveo under its Chevrolet label. The car will be shown to the public for the very first time at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and will arrive in showrooms by June. The dynamically styled three-door Aveo will only be...