Hatchback is that body style of a car which has a rear door that opens upwards. More cargo space and foldable rear seats are the two main features of a hatchback. In 1960’s hatchbacks were famous in Europe and in the United States.

 These were manufactured by the brands like:

• Renault
• Peugeot
• Volkswagen
• Ford
• Toyota etc

In India, Hatchbacks were introduced by Maruti Suzuki. The first hatchback introduced by Maruti Suzuki was Maruti 800. It was a small, affordable and a light weight car. In 80's everybody had a desire to own one. However, due to it's weak engine and body it could not meet the expectations of the indian consumer. Soon, another hatchback named Zen was introduced by Maruti. Zen was superior in technology, had a better engine and a tough body. This car could take the load of the AC and could give a better mileage than 800. Followed by the success of Zen came the brands like Hyundai, Tata and Daewoo in the Indian market. Daewoo Matiz had international looks. The 800cc engine delivered good mileage of approx 18+ Km per liter. Despite of the death of Daewoo and the problems with its spares, Matiz has a huge fan following even today. Tata Indica has also ruled the Indian market. Their newly launched variant named EV2 has impressive looks and a powerful engine. It is available in vibriant colors and delivers a good mileage. Hyundai Santro is a popular hatchback too. It was introduced in the Indian market in late 90s and is still going strong. It’s 1086CC engine delivers a mileage of 13-17 kms per liter. The endorsements, the looks and the performance of this car has driven its consumer go crazy. On an average every family in India is the owner of a Santro. Within a time span of 10 years Hyundai has become a popular name in India. Variants such as Hyundai Santro Xing and Zip drive have also gained popularity.

• Written by Rohit.
• In category General Reference.
• 12 years ago.

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