A hatchback in very basic terms is basically a car which is flat at the rear end and has a large door at the back which opens and closes by being moved up or down, in contrast to the standard boot which sedan type cars have. Hatchback cars are smaller and more compact in size and also give a better mileage in comparison to a sports utility vehicle or a sedan. Various vehicle types like minivans, station wagons and sports utility vehicles also adopt a flat door at the rear, however, they are not considered to be hatchbacks as they are much larger vehicles.
The history of the hatchback dates way back to the 1960’s and 70’s, however, this was probably because of the increasing gas prices at that time. As the gas prices declined, so did the sales of hatchbacks along with it. This was because of the wrong notion people had of hatchback vehicles being a poor person’s car, who can’t afford to buy an actual car (sedan, SUV etc). However, with the surge in fuel prices across the world, hatchbacks are more popular than any other car type today.
Take the Indian car market for example; the number of hatchbacks being produced is far more than the number of sedans or SUV’s. This shows the change in the trend of car buying habits, of consumers in the Indian market. However this is because of the price of fuel in India soaring higher than ever. The petrol price in Mumbai as of the 4th of November 2011 is Rs. 73.81 per liter. Did you know that the petrol price on February 27th 2010 was Rs.51.68 per liter? That means in a span of around 20 months the price for one liter of petrol has increased by Rs.22.13. This is a substantial change and after reading this, it’s not surprising that hatchbacks are at the peak of their production.
Taking such factors into account, it’s no mystery as to why hatchbacks are the cars to own in India today. Hatchbacks are the most ideal cars in India especially in the metropolitan cities, as they give a city dweller almost everything he/she requires out of his/her car. Hatchbacks give a far better mileage given their smaller size and lighter weight. They are much easier to drive in the city, given the massive amounts of traffic we have to endure in order to reach our destination. They are also simpler to park and find a parking space given how congested and cramped everything is, in cities like Mumbai.
Cars like the maruti wagonr, maruti alto K10, hyundai santro and of course the maruti 800 have done exceptionally well in the Indian car market and smashed sales records time and time again. This very clearly shows you how well hatchbacks are fairing in the Indian car market. With the petrol prices on a constant increase, it certainly seems like we are going to be seeing more and more hatchbacks while walking/driving across the street in the near future.