Hatchback
Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second-row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume.
[10][11] Estates/station wagons and liftbacks have in common a two-box design configuration, a shared interior volume for passengers and cargo[6][12] and a rear door (often called a tailgate in the case of an estate/wagon) that is hinged at roof level, similar to hatchbacks.
[27][28] The initial target market was tradesmen who needed to carry bulky objects, like butchers, bakers, vintners, and grocers.
These models were styled much like a typical 1940s sedan, fully retaining their three-box profile; however, they included a two-piece tailgate as per the first Citroën 11CV Commerciale.
[31] The design was neither fully a sedan nor a station wagon, but the folding rear seat provided for a large, 8-foot (2.4 m) long interior cargo area.
The 1959 A40 Countryman differed from the 1958 A40 Farina saloon, in that the rear window was marginally smaller, to allow for a frame that could be lifted with roof-mounted hinges and side support struts so that the car now incorporated a horizontal-split two-piece tailgate.
[36][37] The Renault 4 was the first million-selling, mass-produced, compact two-box car with a steeply raked rear side, opened by a large, one-piece, lift-gate hatch.
The Renault 16 was successful in a market segment previously exclusively populated by notchback sedans and, despite making only one body style for 15 years, consumers purchased over 13⁄4 million R16s.
Unlike the Renault 4, which had a semi-integrated body, mounted on a platform chassis, and a front mid-mounted and longitudinally placed engine behind the front axle, the 1967 Simca 1100, which followed in the footsteps of the 1959 BMC Mini with front-wheel drive, a more space-efficient transverse engine layout, unitary bodywork, and independent suspension (features which became key design concepts used by almost every mass-market family car since) - and it was the first hatchback with these features.
It featured a transverse-mounted SOHC engine, a five-speed transmission, and a flexible seating arrangement which gave the option of forming a double bed.
[40] Created by the same designer as BMC's Mini, sir Alec Issigonis – accountants had determined that the car had to use the same set of doors as the Austin / Morris 1800, but would be marketed below it in the model range, so needed a shorter rear body.
[41] In 1976 British Leyland introduced the Rover 3500, a rear wheel drive executive car five-door hatchback.
It was common for manufacturers to offer the same D-segment model in three different body styles: a 4-door sedan, a 5-door hatchback, and a 5-door station wagon.
[45] The Gremlin was based on the AMC Hornet, but its abrupt hatchback rear end cut the car's overall length from 179 to 161 inches (4,500 to 4,100 mm).
[46] The design and fold-down rear seat more than doubled cargo space and the Hornet was claimed to be the "first compact hatchback" manufactured by U.S.
[48] A longer model with a wagon-type configuration was added in 1977 with its large rear "hatch" as one of the car's three doors, all having different sizes.
Both AMC and GM offered a dealer accessory that turned their compact hatchback models into low-cost recreational vehicles.
[52] An example is the Mini-Camper Kit for the AMC Hornet, a low-priced canvas tent that converted an open hatchback into a camping compartment with room for sleeping.
[53][54] The "Mini-Camper" was a weatherproof covering that fitted over the roof section from the B-pillar back to the rear bumper that was easy to set up.
Along with the Honda Civic, other Japanese hatchback models included the Nissan Pulsar, Toyota Corolla, and Suzuki Swift.
Kei cars include the Mitsubishi Minica, Honda Life, Suzuki Fronte, Subaru Vivio, and Daihatsu Mira.
The vehicle is classified as a B-segment marque in the European single market, a segment referred to as a supermini in the British Isles.
Currently, the Swift is positioned between Ignis and Baleno in Suzuki's global Holden produced the Torana Hatchback from 1976 to 1980 across the LX and UC generations.
