Hatchbacks

The last we heard Audi was working on a new generation of its slow selling but technologically advanced A2 hatchback for launch in 2015. According to latest reports, a concept version of this new A2 could be revealed as early as the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show this September, and it’s expected...

The 2011 Toyota Prius hybrid gets the best gas mileage rating of any car for sale in the U.S. market today. It's rated at 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway, for a combined rating of 50 mpg--and that's a number no other car can match. At least, no other car that doesn't plug into the wall for some (2011...

The 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt had better watch out. The Blue Oval’s contender in the zero-emissions segment, the upcoming 2012 Ford Focus Electric, is edging closer to production. This week it gained a new microsite on the official Ford website. We already had a look at the car...

We tend to get a lot of "What car should we buy?" questions at GreenCarReports, and we'll usually respond with a list of questions to narrow down the choices. Recently, though, our high-school friend Sarah Sette in Baltimore sent the following note: We are car shopping, seriously this time. The...

Kia has redesigned its popular Rio small car for 2012, offering buyers more space, more power and up to 40 mpg fuel economy on the highway. The vehicle made its U.S. debut this past week at the 2011 New York Auto Show and is set to go on sale this fall in both sedan and five-door hatchback...

Audi is currently working on a new generation of its A3, a preview of which we got at last month’s 2011 Geneva Motor Show in the form of the Audi A3 Sedan concept. Since then we’ve received these official sketches showing the design of the production version due early next year. While...

Mercedes-Benz is working on a family of new small cars, several of which will be heading to the U.S., possibly by the end of next year. Designed to compete with BMW’s 1-Series range, the new Lexus CT 200h and even the Audi A3, the new family of small cars will serve as the replacements for...

To keep interest in its 40 mpg capable Fiesta bubbling along into the 2012 model year, Ford is introducing a trio of new customization packs for both the exterior and cabin of the already stylish minicar. The new packs should prove popular as around 40 percent of buyers of the 2011 model have opted...

Last year both Honda and Mitsubishi unveiled new minicar concepts previewing their respective small car futures--Honda with the Brio Prototype and Mitsubishi with the Concept Global Small. Since then Mitsubishi has confirmed the production version of its Concept Global Small for eventual sale in...

At just over 2,300 pounds, the Mazda2 is a lightweight. It's about 200 pounds less than the Honda Fit, MINI Cooper, or Ford Fiesta, and a bit less than the Toyota Yaris even. And, Smart Fortwo aside, that makes it the lightest regular production vehicle for 2011. Lighter weight and smaller engine...

Lexus has gone to great lengths to emphasize the sportiness of its upcoming hybrid hatchback, the all-new 2011 Lexus CT 200h. After previewing an F-Sport endowed concept version of the car at last year’s Sydney Motor Show, Lexus has now used this week's 2011 Chicago Auto Show to present a...

We first heard about Mazda’s plans to develop a battery-powered electric version of its Mazda2 hatchback back in 2009, with the automaker finally starting real-world trials of prototypes last year. Now Mazda has announced that its electric Mazda2 (a Demio in Japan) is scheduled to commence...

The new 2012 Toyota Yaris isn’t expected to hit showrooms until late next year but its Japanese twin, the Vitz, has just been unveiled. Showing a much sportier and edgy design, the new model will be slightly bigger than the current car with an extra 2 inches in the wheelbase and extra 4...

It’s well documented that Ford is planning an all-electric version of its new global Focus--heck, we’ve even test driven a very early prototype based on the previous generation car. But what isn’t that well known is that there will be two other electrified versions of the new...

Mitsubishi is working on a new global small car positioned below its Colt hatchback and scheduled to enter production at a newly erected plant in Thailand in 2012. Previewed here today in these official sketches, the new global small car is expected to make its world debut in production trim at the...

The 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid hot-hatch was meant to be the car that showed hybrids could be sporty as well as green, but its paltry 122 horsepower and dismal 0-60 times were never going to excite anyone. And don’t think its fuel economy is anything to write home about; the CR-Z returns 36/38...

At the start of the year Honda unveiled a concept vehicle previewing a new economy car the company was developing specifically for emerging markets and scheduled for sale in 2011. The concept was the simply titled the Honda New Small Concept and it featured a fairly conventional hatchback design...

At this week’s 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil Kia has taken the wraps off its new Soul Flex hatchback, which the automaker claims is the first vehicle of its kind to be launched by a South Korean brand. The Kia Soul Flex, if you haven’t already guessed, is a fully flex-fuel capable...

At this week’s 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show in Brazil Fiat rolled out a new concept car previewing a possible solution for efficient urban mobility. Such concepts are nothing new but where Fiat’s latest design is unique is in the fact that it does not entirely belong to Fiat but also to...

It seems these days that a new ultra-high mileage vehicle is announced almost every month and this month will be no different. The latest is from Florida’s Avera Motors, which has announced plans for a new high-efficiency vehicle as well as release this teaser of the upcoming car. According...