But the Golf — which is admittedly at the lavish
end of the compact hatchback market — comes with a sophistication and refinement along the lines of a premium marque.
Not exact matches
Ford Focus Electric By the
end of this year, Ford will enter its first - ever battery - powered
compact into the EV fray with a 123 - hp electric motor turning the front wheels
of a four - door
hatchback.
Now, the Leaf could be mistaken for one
of Nissan's conventional
hatchbacks: Gone are the headlights that stretched up the front fenders, replaced with less daring horizontal lights, and the front
end has adopted Nissan's corporate V - Motion grille, seen on everything from the Murano SUV to the Sentra
compact car.
To our eyes it's also far from the most stylish
compact hatchback, with a long bonnet and a lumpen rear
end — a consequence
of its rear - drive layout.
Also due from GM by the
end of March are the Chevy Malibu Maxx, a
hatchback version
of the Malibu sedan with a folding, sliding rear seat, and the Chevy Equinox, a derivative
of the Saturn Vue
compact sport utility vehicle.
The Japanese automaker Toyota just unveiled their new
compact car for the Indian market at the Delhi motor show, revealed as a concept, the Etios will go on sale by the
end of the year in both sedan and
hatchback forms with a price tag promised to be around $ 10,000.
The
end result is a more emotionally appealing design that takes the sporty, agile
compact nature
of the all - new Mazda3
hatchback to a new level
of sporty refinement.
The Mazda 3 is a viable contender, like the Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf, for the sportiest
end of the crowded
hatchback /
compact sedan segment.
From left to right in the teaser images, the cars are: the
hatchback version
of the latest Versa set to be unveiled by the
end of the year, the 2013 Pathfinder, the new Altima, the redesigned Rogue
compact crossover, and the next Sentra that will adopt the same design language as the new Altima.
But now with the entry
of high -
end premium
hatchbacks and affordable
compact sedans, this difference has been almost removed.
Similarly, the next financial year will be dedicated to the Kite
hatchback scheduled to arrive in mid 2015 and will be replacing the Indica; while the Kite based
compact sedan is also on the cards and will be launched by the
end of the 2015 - 16 fiscal, replacing the Indigo.