Do Americans Even Want Hatchbacks?

3261 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by infinite, Jun 4, 2015

Mona

Discussion Starter · May 22, 2015

Probably not and I think this is one of the things that has the potential to go horribly wrong for Infiniti. Its bad enough that Q30 and QX30 will share sheetmetal, with the difference being suspension height, but then you toss in americans love for crossovers and disdain for hatchbacks and you start to wonder whats the point in the first placE?

I mean Audi stopped selling the A3 hatch here in favor of the Q3 and A3 sedan, Mercedes left the A class at home and brought over the GLA and CLA...

Wouldn't the Q30 be better suited as a small sedan?

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alcatraz

· #2 · May 26, 2015

There are a few examples of sporty hatches that do fairly well in the US. I'm think about the Veloster. The CR-Z is another example, though its not as sucessul.

I think these are the types of vehicles that Infiniti is aiming towards, but at a more luxurious level.

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infinite

· #3 · May 27, 2015

Q30 is supposed to serve multiple things, as a sedan with hatch-like features. I think it's supposed to come with air ride that raises and lower it for more capability.

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GeraldHomes

· #4 · Jun 2, 2015

Just looking at how many mazda3 hatchbacks I see on the road is an indication that yes, they do want them. But how many out there would look for a luxury hatchback... just on the top of my head how well do Lexus Ct200hs sell? they might be better sticking with just a sedan considering the points that Mona made about the top players converting to sedans.

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infinite

· #5 · Jun 3, 2015

GeraldHomes said:
Just looking at how many mazda3 hatchbacks I see on the road is an indication that yes, they do want them. But how many out there would look for a luxury hatchback... just on the top of my head how well do Lexus Ct200hs sell? they might be better sticking with just a sedan considering the points that Mona made about the top players converting to sedans.

good point
it could very well come down to giving folks the right type of hatch
modeling off of what mazda did without trying to reinvent the wheel is an approach some car makers should take. but then again there's much more to consider.

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Mona

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 4, 2015

Veloster averages about 30,000 sales annually... I'm not sure thats what I would call a success. Compare that with the KIA Soul, similar in size, which has sold over 100,000 units annually since 2011...

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infinite

· #7 · Jun 4, 2015

Mona said:
Veloster averages about 30,000 sales annually... I'm not sure thats what I would call a success. Compare that with the KIA Soul, similar in size, which has sold over 100,000 units annually since 2011...

I think that number is still good for them to justify keeping it around meanwhile looking for ways to boost that volume.

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