Consumers Discovering Hot Hatches As Segment Takes Off With A Vengeance

For all the talk about falling passenger-car sales, there is one market segment that is getting a shot in arm: hatchbacks.

At the Chicago Auto Show this week, Hyundai Motor America debuted the redesigned 2018 Elantra GT, a European-inspired hatchback that gets an added kick in the Sport trim also unveiled at the show. The 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback hit showrooms last fall, amping up the fun factor of the Honda staple. General Motors Co. rolled out the 2017 Chevrolet Cruze Hatch at last year’s Detroit auto show.