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The last time U.S. vehicle plants produced more hatchbacks and wagons than 4-door sedans and 2-door coupes in the U.S., E.T. was a box-office sensation, Jack and Diane were growing up in the heartland, and cold, icy weather delayed the arrival of the San Francisco 49ers’ motorcade at the Pontiac Silverdome in suburban Detroit for Super Bowl XVI.
The year was 1982, and 40% of new cars produced were small, fuel-efficient hatchbacks and wagons such as the Ford Escort, Chevrolet Chevette, Dodge Omni, Volkswagen Rabbit and Renault Le Car. It also was the same year Toyota Motor Corp. launched a hatchback and sedan called the Camry, in limited numbers.
Over the next two decades, small hatchbacks would fall horribly out of favor with Americans, who were warming to larger sedans and discovering the functionality of SUVs and minivans. Facilitating the market shift were lingering memories of noisy Chevy Vegas, exploding Ford Pintos and broken-down AMC Gremlins.
“The interesting footnote here is that the Kamm-back quasi-hatchback rear end was actually considered a very sporty look in the 1970s,” writes enthusiast blogger Chris Hafner, who had a love-hate relationship with his Gremlin. “That is, until the Gremlin adopted it and ruined it for everybody.”
Today, hatchbacks are hot once again, although auto makers carefully use other monikers such as “sportback,” “3-door coupe,” “4-door coupe” and “5-door liftback.”
The most significant new interpretations of the hatchback concept are coming from Europe. Even though German auto makers have attempted to sell some hatchbacks in the U.S. over the years, few Americans would associate European luxury performance cars with hatchbacks.
And yet, the German brands are staking their most important new products on America’s erstwhile body style.
The Porsche Panamera, BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo and Audi A5 Sportback (available only in Europe) all have rear windows that lift, along with the back of the vehicle, to offer maximum storage space. Coming late next year is the similarly equipped Audi A7 Sportback.
A number of other recently launched vehicles build on the hatchback trend, including the Honda Accord Crosstour, Toyota Venza, Volvo C30 and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagon.
Ward’s extensive vehicle-production database confirms the resurgence. Beginning in 1983, U.S. production of hatchbacks and wagons began plummeting, bottoming out at 5.7% of new cars in 1998.
It then hovered around 7.5% for several years before beginning its ascent to 9.3% in 2005 and about 13% in 2009. Based on scheduled vehicle launches, the upward trend for liftgates should continue.
Import sales in the U.S. are showing the same trend. Ward’s data shows 17% of import cars sold were hatchbacks and wagons in ’08, up from 10.6% in ’05.
