Hatchbacks

  • 2018 BMW i3s

    As a given generation of any vehicle ages, German companies in particular often spice up the allure of the aging car with new and sportier versions. Porsche is a master at rolling out new versions of its models across the entire life of a generation, but BMW has learned the trick too. Thus in the fifth model year for the BMW i3, we have the new 2018 BMW i3s, a higher-performance version of the battery-electric hatchback. DON'T MISS: 2018 BMW i3 electric car range adds sportier i3s version It's an addition to the lineup of BMW i3 electric-car versions. For 2017, there were three...

  • Volvo 40.2 concept
    Volvo to offer multiple electric cars, battery-size options, starting in 2020

    Volvo has confirmed its second electric car for the brand will be a version of the V40 compact hatchback it plans to unveil within the year. Much like the all-electric Volkswagen e-Golf version of the standard Golf, Volvo will roll out a conventional version of its V40 hatchback on the new compact...

  • Volkswagen ID Neo concept, 2016 Paris auto show
    Volkswagen ID electric car production date now set: November 2019

    Since the Dieselgate scandal broke more than two years ago, Volkswagen has spent a great deal of time talking about its plans for electric cars. It has rolled out three concept vehicles within the new Volkswagen ID family, and discussed its dedicated electric-car architecture that will underpin all...

  • First 2018 Nissan Leaf produced at assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, Dec 2017
    2018 Nissan Leaf electric car now rolling off lines in Tennessee

    The 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car will start to appear at Nissan dealers in January, the company said Monday. That availability came in an announcement that the second-generation electric car officially went into production the same day at Nissan's sprawling assembly plant in Smyrna, Tennessee...

  • 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid Blue, Catskill Mountains, NY, Nov 2017
    2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: further thoughts on 50 mpg after 1,200 miles

    We've now spent more than 1,200 miles in a variety of Hyundai Ioniqs, but the bulk of them were covered in the conventional hybrid version of the five-door compact hatchback. That's the highest-volume version, while the battery-powered Ioniq Electric sells in lower numbers and the plug-in hybrid...

  • 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2017
    2017 Volkswagen e-Golf: weekend drive report and range test

    The thought came like a flash while on the highway heading into New York's Catskill Mountains: This is what all cars will be like soon. The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf is absolutely the most normal, invisible, unremarkable electric car you can buy today. No one knew it was electric, or paid it any...

  • 2018 Hyundai Ioniq

    Hyundai is known in the auto industry as an aggressive and very capable competitor, and the world's largest makers watch it closely and take it very seriously. The company didn't introduce its first hybrid car in the U.S. until 2011 and, frankly, that year's hybrid Sonata sedan wasn't very good. Just six model years later, the company's hybrids are much improved and it has launched a world first: a car that can be ordered with hybrid, all-electric, or plug-in hybrid powertrains. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: gas mileage review That car is the Hyundai Ioniq lineup, which for 2018 will...

  • 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV: minimal changes, same range and price

    With sales of the Chevrolet Bolt EV electric car rising every month, shoppers are inevitably curious about any changes to the Bolt for the 2018 model year, its second. Now the information is out, and buyers will find the 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV is virtually the same car as the 2017 model—with...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    2018 Nissan Leaf vs Chevrolet Bolt EV: new electric cars compared

    The 2017 Chevy Bolt EV went on sale last December, but only became available nationwide in August. Meanwhile, electric-car shoppers waited eagerly for details of the 2018 Nissan Leaf, the second-generation car that finally premiered in early September. We've now driven both cars, and can take a...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    The 2018 Nissan Leaf has three types of cruise control: how they differ

    When the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car arrives at dealerships early next year, it will offer fresh styling inside and out, more power, a 150-mile range, and an array of standard or optional active-safety features. It will come in Nissan's standard three trim levels—base S, mid-level SV, and...

  • 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf
    2017 VW e-Golf lease can cost more than longer-range Chevy Bolt EV

    Model years can be confusing: the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf electric car just went on sale this month, at a time when some other makers have already rolled out 2018 models. The 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV, meanwhile, went on sale since last December; at some point this fall, we expect to get information on...

  • Volkswagen ID Neo concept, 2016 Paris auto show
    Volkswagen ID electric car to launch in 2020 along with new VW Golf

    Volkswagen has a critical year coming in 2020, when the German brand will launch two incredibly important vehicles nearly back-to-back. The next-generation Volkswagen Golf will arrive that year, and then, one month later, the brand will launch its first mass-market electric car, the ID hatchback...

  • 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid

    The Toyota Prius is undoubtedly the world's best-known hybrid car, and it's now been in production over four generations for more than 20 years. There have been more than 6 million Priuses built so far, and the U.S. represents the car's largest single market. That means lots of current Prius drivers exist on U.S. roads. DON'T MISS: 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid: gas mileage review Now, Hyundai is targeting them as potential buyers of its new Ioniq Hybrid. The five-door compact hatchback is rated at 54 mpg combined for the regular version, and 58 mpg for a special Ioniq Hybrid Blue model, beating...

  • 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf
    2017 Volkswagen e-Golf, 125-mile electric car, starts at $31,315

    The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf gets several notable updates, including a larger battery pack and more powerful electric motor.

  • Mercedes-Benz EQA concept, 2017 Frankfurt auto show
    Mercedes-Benz Concept EQA small electric hatchback debuts in Frankfurt

    Following various teaser images, the Mercedes-Benz EQA concept for a compact all-electric hatchback made its debut on Tuesday at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show. It's a preview of what will become a volume production car around 2020, competing against numerous 200-mile hatchbacks of the same size...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    2018 Nissan Leaf: does it pioneer the 'mid-range' electric car?

    With the 2018 Nissan Leaf due to arrive at U.S. dealers in four or five months, next year is shaping up to be a very interesting test of what buyers want in battery-electric cars. Much of the focus has been on the new car's range rating, projected to be 150 miles combined when it's confirmed by the...

  • Mercedes-Benz EQ A Concept
    Latest image shows shape of Mercedes EQA compact electric car for Frankfurt show

    German luxury maker Mercedes-Benz has released another teaser photo of the electric-car concept it will reveal next week at the Frankfurt auto show. That vehicle will be the Mercedes EQA Concept, a compact electric hatchback that's one of several concepts that preview future products as the company...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    Nine things you should know about the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car

    The simulcasted global events are over, the cars have been driven back out of the arenas, and electric-car fans are evaluating the new 2018 Nissan Leaf that was unveiled to the world last night. We've covered both the details of the car and our preliminary drive impressions from testing a...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf

    When visiting an automaker's proving ground to drive cars still under development, security is extensive. Cameras have to be left on the bus, all phone lenses have to be covered, and documents committing you to keep quiet until the embargo lifts must be signed. In late June, we drove a pre-production 2018 Nissan Leaf at the company's Tochigi Test Field. Now, we can finally share our impressions. DON'T MISS: 2018 Nissan Leaf debuts: 150 miles for $30,875, 200-plus miles next year We don't have any photos from that event, but we came away with 10 pages of closely-spaced notes from our driving...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    2018 Nissan Leaf debuts: 150 miles for $30,875, 200-plus miles in 2019

    The spy shots, teaser photos, rumors, and feverish speculation can all be put behind us. The 2018 Nissan Leaf hatchback has debuted, and we can now see every facet of the second generation of the world's best-selling electric car. The compact five-door's 40-kilowatt-hour battery is projected to get...

  • 2018 Nissan Leaf
    As 2018 Nissan Leaf arrives, data on US electric-car market offers reality check

    This evening, the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car will make its long-awaited debut at events in Tokyo, Las Vegas, and elsewhere around the world. The Leaf remains the world's highest-volume electric car, with more than 280,000 of the first-generation cars delivered since December 2011 (112,000 of...

  • 2018 BMW i3 and i3s
    2018 BMW i3 electric car range adds sportier i3s version

    While the 2018 BMW i3 will formally debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show, the company has released details ahead of time on the updates to the lineup of its compact electric car. While battery range stays the same as last year, a new i3s model (for Sport) has been added, with revised...

  • Teaser for 2018 Nissan Leaf debuting on September 6, 2017
    2018 Nissan Leaf teaser: electric car will 'amaze your senses'

    With the 2018 Nissan Leaf electric car due to be unveiled to the world in Japan on September 6, the company continues to release bits and pieces of teaser information. Yesterday, Nissan issued a video promoting a list of the new model's features. It also provided a photo of the electric hatchback's...

  • 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV
    Chevy Bolt EV: looking at electric car's long-term challenges

    The electric car that became the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV reset industry norms overnight when it was unveiled as a concept car at the 2015 Detroit auto show. The most important parts wasn't the car's shape, or its interior space, or hatchback configuration: it was the combination of price (below...

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