Hatchback News

Kia has unveiled a wagon version of one of its newer small cars to provide a more spacious option.If a hatchback is too small, the 2026 Kia K4 Sportswagon is here as a sleek new long-roof, with the stretched hatchback now revealed globally.Two powertrains (one with a manual gearbox!) and a range of features from the other bodystyles appear in the European specifications for the new baby wagon, but there are some clues as to whether the Sportswagon is likely to come to Australia.The small car is now 4695mm long in its new form, and there’s 166 litres more storage space in the rear (now up to 406L), though plenty is shared with the hatch and sedan versions.In Europe, a turbo 1.0-litre petrol engine will be available paired with a six-speed manual - unlikely to launch here given a lack of love for three-pedal driving in Oz - while a more powerful 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, the same as available in the hatch or sedan GT-Line in Australia.Kia says a hybrid variant is also on the way, which could mean the 2.0-litre four with a CVT auto available on lower grades in Australia is unlikely to feature in the EU.“With the K4 Sportswagon, we are extending the appeal of the K4 to customers who value space and versatility as much as they are interested in design and technology,” said Sjoerd Knipping, Chief Operating Officer of Kia Europe.Other elements confirmed for the K4 Sportswagon are unsurprisingly similar to existing body styles with a trio of screens comprising a 12.3-inch driver display, a 5.3-inch climate display, and a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen dominating the cabin.There’s no word on local availability yet, but given the limited appeal of wagons for most Aussie car-buyers, the chances seem relatively slim.Kia only recently introduced the K4 hatchback to Australia in November 2025, bolstering the model range that was previously only available in sedan variants.For those, the Kia K4 starts from $32,090, before on-roads, regardless of body style.

Uptake of electric vehicles stepped up again in 2025.

Hyundai has confirmed the name of its next electric car, perhaps unsurprisingly following in the Ioniq series it has established.The (likely) 2027 Hyundai Ioniq 3 will be the smallest in the line-up so far, undercutting the Ioniq 5 as the brand’s entry into a new segment for the Ioniq models.Set to debut in April this year, the Ioniq 3 remains completely under wraps with Hyundai not even having teased what the car may look like.The confirmation of its name lines up with a convenient hint, the recent Concept Three, shown off at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich. The concept car is a fastback-style hatch that wears the brand’s Ioniq badging across its tail, and lines up with the design language used by the Ioniq 5 and 6.Likely to be built on a similar version of the shared Hyundai/Kia E-GMP platform as the Kia EV3 and EV4, though if the concept is anything to go by the Ioniq 3 won’t be quite as boxy and SUV-like as the EV3.The incoming Kia EV4 could be a better indication of size, though the Hyundai Ioniq 3 is unlikely to look much like it - the recognisable Ioniq pixel lighting is just one design element that Hyundai appears to have already locked in for the Ioniq 3.While the Ioniq 3 might not look quite as wild as the Concept Three, Hyundai rarely reveals a concept car for no reason. The Ioniq 5 and 6 were both preceded by concepts (The Concept 45 and Prophecy respectively) that showed clear lineage to the eventual production cars.Stay tuned as the reveal in April approaches.

A new hybrid hot hatch concept has just been revealed in Japan.Nissan has unveiled a new fiesty hybrid hatchback called the Aura Nismo RS concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon.With the car still only a concept, Nissan has said it is still exploring the potential of bringing it to market as a production car.Nismo is Nissan's performance branch, derived from its motorsport endeavours.The car is based on one of Nissan’s hybrid hatches found overseas, and also has the same power set-up found on the X-Trail Nismo — a performance version of the popular mid-size SUV.It  has been pitched as an “Agile Electric City Racer” concept, using Nissan’s e-Power hybrid set-up, which differs from the conventional hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies.Its dual electric motors are powered by a 2.1kWh battery, which is charged by a 1.5-litre petrol engine.The engine produces 106kW and 250Nm, but it has no role in powering the wheels and acts purely as a generator to fill the battery, with the front and rear mounted electric motors driving the wheels exclusively.The front motor produces 150kW and 330Nm, while the rear motor produces 100kW and 195Nm.It drives using Nissan’s specialist all-wheel drive system.In addition to these performance upgrades, the RS has undergone some big physical changes in comparison to the original Aura Nismo to give it increased track and race capabilities.The RS is 145mm wider, with its beefed up fenders.The overall ride height has been dropped by 20mm, designed to improve handling in hard cornering.It comes in 142mm longer, taking its total length to 4262mm, and weighs 100kg more at about 1500kg.The brakes have also been beefed up, with new large opposed-piston calipers.Its exterior design features sleek bodywork, appearing in a dark grey, with roof-mounted spoiler and a standout red front splitter.Red elements surround the base of the car, contrasting the paint work.The car has plenty of blacked out elements, including the front grille and roof, while RS badging shows on the doors.Despite its different power set-up, its hot hatch status sees it as a potential rival for Hyundai’s i30 N and Toyota GR Corolla.

Sales of light passenger cars in Australia have slowly been dipping further and further over the years but an unlikely new entrant may turn this around.Last year China’s BYD announced the pricing for its new entry-level Atto 1 electric hatchback. With a mind-blowing starting price of $23,990 before on-roads, it’s the cheapest new electric vehicle (EV) in Australia by a strong margin.The BYD Atto 1, despite being an EV, undercuts many similarly sized petrol hatchbacks in terms of entry asking price. Examples include the Mazda 2, MG3, Suzuki Swift and Toyota Yaris.One of the few cars that undercuts the Atto 1’s competitive starting price is the Kia Picanto, which is still Australia’s cheapest new car. It starts from $19,190 before on-road costs.During 2025 a total of 7166 examples of the Picanto were sold, which is up 23.1 per cent year-on-year.Despite being the cheapest new vehicle in Australia, it’s not the best-selling light passenger car. This crown goes to the MG3, which currently starts from $21,888 drive-away. A total of 8350 examples were sold last year, though this is technically down 33.5 per cent year-on-year.There are clearly still many Australians looking at the budget end of the new car market to make a purchase, especially as cost of living crunches.Many carmakers are now finding it hard to sell such a car profitably while still packaging all the required safety equipment and meeting tightening emission standards.This is where EVs like the BYD Atto 1 could thrive as they don’t emit any CO2 tailpipe emissions.In terms of other small-to-light EV hatchbacks that are due to launch locally over the next 12 months or so, MG has confirmed it’s introducing its new, city-focused MG4 Urban, plus Leapmotor is launching the B05 electric hatchback in the second half of 2026.Many Australians now prefer SUVs over small hatchbacks and sedans.SUV sales in Australia have been going from strength to strength for years now and there are plenty of budget offerings that in some cases are cheaper than hatchbacks and offer more space.Examples include the Chery Tiggo 4, GWM Haval Jolion and Mahindra XUV3XO which all start at $23,990 drive-away.Around the same time BYD announced the Atto 1 electric hatchback for Australia, it also confirmed it’s introducing the Atto 2 small electric SUV locally.It’s priced from $31,990 before on-road costs, which makes it Australia’s cheapest electric SUV though it’s still $8000 more than the overall cheapest SUV.There are plenty of other budget-oriented electric SUVs available including the Hyundai Inster which currently starts at $35,990 drive-away thanks to an offer, as well as the Chery E5 and Leapmotor B10 which both currently start at $38,990 drive-away.

The date December 31, 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of the end of new Holden vehicle sales.With the world reeling from Covid-19, the final Astra, Trax, Equinox, Acadia and Colorado models left GMH dealerships with a whimper not a bang.But what if General Motors HQ in Detroit didn’t pull the plug? What if the brand survived beyond 2020 and into the halcyon three years of over-demand and under-supply? We reckon it’d still be here today.Here are the international General Motors models that might have made the grade as Holdens.The 2018 Acadia represented a big gamble by Holden, going to huge expense of re-engineering and improving-upon the then-new second-gen GMC version of the Chevrolet Traverse for right-hand-drive.And why not, since, the big-selling Toyota Kluger continues to be also sourced from the US.Released in 2024, Acadia number three adopts fresh styling inside and out, GM’s VSS-S modular architecture (evolved from the previous platform), longer wheelbase for family-friendlier three-row seating and a gutsy 2.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol powertrain.Handsome and ultra-spacious, it looks and drives well enough to have resonated with Australian buyers.This one would have been a shoe-in for Australia.All three generations of Colorado ute sold in North America since 2004 have been unrelated to the Isuzu D-Max/Rodeo models Holden imported.Today’s US Chevy, unveiled in 2022, is big (and roomy) for a mid-sized ute, even compared to the Ford Ranger, betraying the fact that it is a scaled-down Chevrolet Silverado. And that’s no bad thing given how relatively sophisticated the latter full-sized pick-up is.And here’s a fun fact. Back in 2018, then-Holden managing director, Dave Buttner, revealed that what’s now today’s Colorado would probably have been the basis for a formidable Ranger rival, suggesting that – like the Acadia – it might already have been future-proofed for right-hand drive.Plus, as the current US engine choice is a 2.7-litre four-pot turbo petrol unit, Australia’s sizeable 4x4 dual-cab ute segment may have dictated a diesel application.Ah, what might have been…A product of GM Korea that grew from the ashes of GM Daewoo, the original Trax was derived from the Opel Corsa platform that also provided the basis of the final Holden Barina supermini. It was an early and successful example of a city-sized Light SUV.The second-gen Trax, again from Korea, is based on a small/medium scalable version of VSS-S, and is powered by either a 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo or 1.5-litre four-pot turbo depending on sourcing, as it is also built in China with SAIC.Obviously larger and sleeker than the first version, Trax II is a smartly-styled and spacious alternative to the Chery Tiggo 4 and Haval Jolion, and would likely resonate with Aussie consumers.Barely a year old in its US home market, the fourth-gen Equinox is yet another variation of GM’s ubiquitous VSS-S platform, and remains a Toyota RAV4 challenger.To that end, the redesigned medium SUV offers a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) option in some markets to the standard 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol powertrain. There’s also an EV version.And, since GM does not seem to offer a world-class small car…Sadly, GM doesn’t seem to know or care about making great B- and C-segment hatchbacks.And since this is a fantasy scenario, we’re inclined to think that the alt-universe Holden might want to have continued its association with the Stellantis-owned Opel/Vauxhall and offer the known and respected Corsa and its larger Astra stablemate lines.Now, the Opel Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo may or may not preview the next-gen supermini due in about 2028, but clearly, away from GM stewardship, the decades-old Opel/Vauxhall smaller cars are flourishing.

A new budget EV hatchback could be coming soon.

We’ve been calling for it and it’s finally here!

In the age of increasingly dominant Chinese car brands, how can Japanese favourites stand out?

Toyota dominates the new car market thanks to an expansive line-up of models that spans from the pint-sized Yaris hatch to the jumbo Toyota LandCruiser.