hatchback

At the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, seeing 100 different custom incarnations of big, powerful Ford Mustangs is par for the course. This year, however, Ford is thinking small.

This year, Ford is choosing to focus on the B- and C-segment 2011 Fiesta and 2012 Focus and will be filling its booth with custom examples of each. We got a sneak peek at 10 renderings of these tiny customs and are happy to see that they run the gamut. From high-performance examples by Roush, Steeda, and Cobb Tuning to styling exercises by the ID Agency, M2-Motoring, and 3dCarbon, if … Read more

Hyundai announced pricing for the 2012 Veloster three-door coupe, starting at $18,060 for the six-speed manual and $19,310 for the six-speed EcoShift Dual Clutch Transmission, including a $760 destination charge.

CNET first saw the Veloster at the 2011 Detroit auto show back in January.

Under the hood of the Veloster is a 138-horsepower four-cylinder engine, the same found in the new Accent. Hyundai estimates the Veloster will get 28 mpg city and 40 mpg highway with the manual. The automatic is estimated at 29 mpg city and 38 highway, the automaker said in a press release.

The front-wheel-drive … Read more

There once was a time when the most noteworthy thing about Hyundai's entry-level hatchback was that its $9,970 price tag made it quite literally the cheapest car in America. However, the 2012 Hyundai Accent SE that showed up in the Car Tech garage last week was anything but cheap.

Weighing in at an as-tested MSRP of $16,590, the Accent has grown quite a bit in price, but it has also grown in nearly every other metric. The new hatchback is larger, more comfortable, and of much higher quality than its predecessor. It's also much more fun … Read more

General Motors has contracted with Gorky Automobile Plant (GAZ), "Russia's largest producer of commercial vehicles" of a certain size, for the production of next-generation Aveo sedans and hatchbacks for the Russian market.

According to GM, the GAZ Group "has 18 production plants in 10 regions of Russia...GAZ Group produces light commercial vehicles, heavy trucks, buses, cars, road construction equipment, power trains, and auto components."

"The cooperation with GM will strengthen quality and technology of every production capacity of GAZ," said Bo Andersson, president and CEO of GAZ Group. "The decision taken … Read more

We've been following the Chevrolet Cruze sedan's evolution from concept to production model. We've even taken a first drive in one. Now, as the 2011 Geneva auto show approaches, we get an early look at the production version of the Cruze's hatchback design.

Interestingly, the five-door Cruze's silhouette and roofline don't change all that much from those of the four-door model when viewed from the front quarter. However, when viewed in profile or from the rear quarter, the Cruze begins to resemble a bow-tie badged Subaru Impreza.

While a Geneva debut signals definite European … Read more

DETROIT--After a few rounds of preshow teasing, Hyundai has announced and unveiled the production version of the 2012 Veloster.

The first thing you'll notice about the Veloster (or second, depending on which side of the car you're standing) is the third door on the coupe's passenger side. Hyundai claims that by using two shorter doors on this side of the vehicle, it is able to both ease entrance into the Veloster's rear seat and ease parking by shortening what would be one longer door. It makes sense, but is a little odd. Fortunately, we like odd.… Read more

Today, a Ford press release crossed my desk with an interesting tidbit about the sales figures for its new Ford Fiesta. It turns out that the majority of buyers have chosen the five-door hatchback body style over the more conventional four-door model. Apparently, someone at Ford thought this was newsworthy, but for me, it was sort of a no-brainer: the five-door was always the better car in my eyes. But that got me to thinking, "What is it with Americans and hatchbacks?"

We're big fans of hatchbacks here at CNET Car Tech, particularly those of the hot … Read more

Rounding the a bend on a windy backroad, I was greeted by the familiar tail lamps of a 2010 Mazdaspeed3, fitting as the 2011 Volvo C30 R-Design that I was piloting shares its Ford C1 platform with the Mazda3. Weeks earlier, on a similar road, the Mazdaspeed had scared the crap out of me with its turbo lag and snap torque steer. My current ride was down about 50 horsepower from the Mazda, but felt about as surefooted with more predictable power delivery. In a classic case of "less is more," I was able to hang fairly close … Read more

The Mazda Mazda2, 2008 World Car of the Year, finally gets its North American debut in U.S. production trim. However, while the diminutive B-segment hatch was certainly on display at the 2009 LA Auto Show, Mazda was surprisingly shy with the details. We weren't even allowed to take interior photos, which doesn't exactly bode well for a vehicle that's scheduled to launch as early as summer 2010.

What we do know is that the Mazda2 will feature a front MacPherson strut and rear torsion-beam axle setup that's similar to the European variant. The subcompact is … Read more