[Silver Knight]

I dont think premium / luxury hathcbacks will click in India. Chevrolet SRV, MS S-Cross, BMW 1 Series and Merc A Class are example which failed. Instead, they can adapt this styling to a i20/Swift platform and even sell in the same name
Renault Megane Mini

Ford Focus Lite..

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by 1100D

You mean that's not a "Hatch" on it's back!!!

Attachment 1896590

Even Ferrari has a small Hatchback with a small engine 3.9 liter V8

Well just a a hatch style door does not make it a hatch back! The Panamera is more like sports car with 4 doors.

Anyway, like I said before the discussion here seems to be about luxury hatchbacks in India, on the lines of 1 series or Golf or something like that.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by motorworks

The Panamera is more like sports car with 4 doors.

Did not know that, thanks for educating!!!

[petrol_power]

Originally Posted by motorworks

Well just a a hatch style door does not make it a hatch back! The Panamera is more like sports car with 4 doors.

Originally Posted by 1100D

Did not know that, thanks for educating!!!

Off topic, but I also got curious about this. Motorworks seems right because stationwagons also have hatch at back, but are not called as hatchbacks due to extra length. So may be multiple parameters like shape/profile/dimension, etc of vehicle determines its category. Regular hatchbacks have almost vertical/90 degree rear glass, whereas Panamera is having sedan/coupe kind of slope. Panamera may be 4 door sports coupe, not sure though.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by petrol_power

Off topic, but I also got curious about this. Regular hatchbacks have almost vertical/90 degree rear glass, whereas Panamera is having sedan/coupe kind of slope. Panamera may be 4 door sports coupe, not sure though.

In my previous few posts, I was trying to inject some "humour" owing to the Threadstarters Team-bhp handle.

Technically the rear Hatch is still a Hatch!! It needs to be designed with the considerations of a hatch. However, cars like these were called as "Fastback" (We had our Standard 2000, based on Rover SD1 as one such).

In case of the Ferrari I had also mentioned (was referring to Ferrari GTC4Lusso - some people still need things to be spelt out), its called a "Shooting Brake", but then one can still make fun of it as being a "Hatchback"

[GTO]

Mod Note: No more off-topic posts please. Thank you!

[Reinhard]

I'd drool to dehydration if the topic of this thread becomes a realisty. Premium powerful hatchbacks are one of the best "drivers'" car types. Its a bit of an overlap there between superminis and premium hatchbacks really. What I'd love is those powerful sporty handling superminis.

Think of the Golfs, Meganes, 308s, C4s, Focuses, Leons. Man!
(With the right engine combinations of course!)

Alas - its a mathematical certainty really in India that it won't happen. The cars of this segment don't come cheap or with a "kitna deti hai" marketting campaign.

We live in an auto market where -

1. Cars are made by companies only if the sell in thoudands of units per month. Otherwise not.
2. Majority customers buy a car thinking about others rather than how they feel while driving the car. We then convince ourselves that the car we bought to impress others indeed is the one that fits our needs / driving expectations.
3. We make a direct relation between the money paid vis a vis the size and status value of the car. Especially taking comments from people who know less than nothing about cars and mechanical engineering.

This segment of cars comes fairly costly. India associates "hatchbacks" with low cost, high mileage etc. etc.

If one buys a Focus, he'd have extra task every day of answering this question to 15 people a day -
"You could have got a Creta or Hector for this price. Why did you buy a hatchback then mate? Weird!"

Again, no thought about whether these 2 car even compare with each other or not. And its not feasible to to take 15 people a day to the nearest ghats, throw the Focus around corners at high revvs, blow the living daylights out of them & shut them up forever.

[Turbopetrol]

As a GT TSI owner, I would love to upgrade to a more premium hatchback, preferably from VW stable itself (Golf or even new Polo in MQB) . A premium hatchback checks almost all parameters that a small family like mine demands.

In my apartment, there are many hatchback owners who could afford a sedan or an SUV, but are constrained due to available parking. Probably going forward, such category of people would settle for either a CSUV or a premium hatchback.