Hatchback Sales Rise Despite Falling Demand For Small Cars

Sales of SUVs in the United States continue to surge but as it turns out, they aren’t the only body style benefitting from consumer demand. Hatchbacks are also rising in popularity.

In years gone by, Americans generally haven’t been very receptive of hatchbacks but this year alone, their sales have increased by 16 per cent despite compact and subcompact car sales falling by 25 per cent.

KBB recently said that hatchbacks are enjoying a renaissance in the U.S. following the introduction of a number of new models.

“With this year’s introduction of the Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback, Honda Civic Hatchback and Toyota Corolla iM, compact car shoppers now have nine hatchbacks from which to choose. You don’t have to give up the efficiency and affordability of a mainstream compact car to get SUV-like cargo versatility,” the publication said.

Ford is making the most of heightened interests in hatches and during an interview with USA Today, Ford sales analyst Erich Merkle said that the automaker is seeing continued success with its Fiesta and Focus models.

“Hatchbacks are the nugget of hope for the small car segment. Ford’s been in the hatchback small car sector since we introduced the Fiesta in 2010 and the Focus hatch shortly thereafter. They’ve both been strong.”

One of the key reasons why hatchbacks are gaining popularity is that they are often smaller than their sedan counterparts but offer significantly more cargo space. For example, the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze hatchback has 67 per cent more rear cargo space than the sedan despite being 8.4 inches shorter.