12 Hot Hatches That Changed The Automotive Industry

The term ‘hot hatch’ refers to a small hatchback-style car with a performance focus – a type of car that has done exceptionally well globally. Only a handful remain in the US, however, so shoppers don’t have as much choice now as they might have in the past.

But where did this sprightly, fun little car come from? The term originated in the 80s, but there have been go-faster small cars since a decade or two before that. Today, the hot hatch game is serious business, and with each new technological advancement, new model generation, and new motorsports success story, the market adapts and evolves. The modern hot hatch is more powerful, safe and capable than ever – but if it weren’t for these 10 hatchbacks that changed the industry, that might not be the case today.

We’ve considered hot hatchbacks throughout history that delivered a combination of affordability, technological advancements, and major market significance globally for this list. We list them in chronological order.

12 Autobianchi A112 Abarth

1971

In 1971, five years before the first-generation Volkswagen GTI debuted, Fiat acquired the performance specialty brand Abarth and their first collaboration resulted in the Abarth version of the Autobianci A112. With an engine punched up from 903 to 982 cc and various modified components, the upgraded engine provided more low end torque, and made 58 horsepower at 6,600 RPM. That’s a modest output, but considering the 1,521-pound curb weight, those ponies didn’t have much mass to move.

Sports gauges and more supportive seats were installed, and a sporty three-spoke steering wheel. The Abarth version of the tiny Autobianci accounted for 10 percent of all A112 volume. The Abarth engine was noted to be more fuel efficient than the less-powerful version of the engine upon which it was based, too. By 1975, the engine had grown to 1,059 cc and put out 70 hp, the gearbox went from four to five speeds, and production ended in 1985 after more than 121,000 units were produced over 15 years. With a knack for racing, easy repairability, cheap parts and wide-reaching consumer appeal, the A112 Abarth changed the world by kicking off the hot hatch scene with a sales success story that captured the hearts of many happy drivers.

11 Volkswagen Golf GTI MK1

1976

The year was 1976. Apple Computer had just been founded, and Sylvester Stallone was making his breakthrough role as Rocky Balboa. The A112 Abarth had been on sale for half a decade at this point, during which time the Volkswagen Golf, launched 2 years earlier, was enjoying success. Across the pond, Volkswagen launched the GTI to the public.

The first-generation GTI (called the MK1) ran a 1.6-liter, 108-hp four-cylinder engine, could do 0-60 in nine seconds, and would hit a top speed of 113 mph given enough room. The original GTI engine used fuel injection, which was advanced for the era and worked with the car’s light weight to push a theme that started with the A112 Abarth: fuel efficient performance. Like the A112 Abarth before it, the GTI offered drivers a tuned-up, enthusiast-oriented version of a more modest economy car. And, like the A112, it enjoyed motorsports success, becoming a popular contender in many racing series. Before long, what the A112 Abarth and VW GTI started would ignite a fierce hot-hatch competition with many players from around the globe.

10 Renault 5 Turbo 2

1983

To build the next hot hatch on our list, Renault modified their standard Renault 5 so extensively that they even switched the location of its engine. The unique design and layout of the Renault 5 Turbo (launched in 1980) and subsequent Renault 5 Turbo 2 (launched in 1983) was due to the car being built specifically to compete in Group B rally racing, whose regulations and requirements heavily shaped its design, styling, powertrain and construction. Ahead of the rear wheels, a 1.4-liter turbo-four spun up 158 hp and 163 lb-ft, sending it to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual.

By building one of the most unique hot hatches on our list, the Renault 5 Turbo 2 pushed the hot-hatch scene ahead by breaking from the norm and being among the first hot hatches to bring turbocharging onto the scene. Today, it’s found fame once again in the collector and restomod scenes.

9 Toyota AE86

1983

Here’s a fun recipe idea from the early 80s: take a cheap, light, rear-drive hatchback designed for commuting, install a high-revving twin-cam engine with 128 horsepower, dial the platform in for near-perfect weight distribution and offer it to the public with a reasonable price-tag, as well as Toyota reliability baked in: you’ve got our next hot-hatch, the Toyota AE86. Highly recognizable from the Initial D anime series and no shortage of drifting events around the globe, this popular hot hatch went on to be loved by enthusiasts and racers, and remains beloved today, decades after securing over 40 WRC wins.

With four-wheel discs, 14-inch wheels and a limited-slip differential, the AE86 had track-day hardware built right in. Noted to this day for its responsive handling feel and legendary drift-car status, the AE86 helped advance the hot hatch game by putting the first of many Japanese products onto the scene and giving aspiring racers affordable access to a proven machine with plenty of pedigree.

8 Peugeot 205 GTI

1984

Launched in 1984, just a year after the arrival of the second-generation Golf GTI, came the Peugeot 205 GTI. Based on the 205 launched a year earlier, the 205 GTI helped cement the brand in the modern era, both in terms of product, marketing and motorsport. With 105 hp, it’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine was nipping at the heels of the MK1 GTI, though a larger 1.9-liter engine would come soon after, bumping output to 126 hp.

Various 205 styling elements, designed in house, would go on to live in future Peugeot models as well. The 205 GTI changed the hot-hatch world by proving, once again, that automakers could have great success in adapting a mainstream car for the enthusiast driver– and connecting with them through the world of motorsport, in this case with WRC and Paris-Dakar wins coming shortly after its on-sale launch. Despite strong sales success and consideration for sale in the USA, the 205 GTI was ultimately axed in light of increasing insurance costs and more aggressive emissions standards.

7 Lancia Delta Integrale

1988

The original Lancia Delta hit the road in 1979 and was a somewhat successful cheap and cheerful car for the sensible shopper. It soon became the first AWD-equipped car built by Lancia, who wouldn’t stop there. That first AWD-equipped Lancia was called the Delta HF 4WD. A hot hatch version was required, and the first of these was called the 8V Integrale, which hit the road (and rally circuit) in 1988. The Delta Integrale is a legendary machine and a technological feat for its era, with an advanced AWD system joined by a turbocharged engine. It raised the bar for competitors who would need to respond with their own AWD-equipped hot hatch models with ever-growing power figures – and made AWD a must-have feature for many hot-hatch shoppers.

Until its retirement in 1993, the Delta Integrale went on to receive numerous updates and enhancements, largely driven by increasingly tough competition in rally racing where hot hatches were starting to become pretty popular. Today, rare Delta Integrales can cost as much as a supercar.

6 Honda Civic Type-R (EK9)

1997

The EK9 Honda Civic Type R hit the road in 1997 and was built learning lessons from other Type R models and what the brand had learned during the mass production of one of the best-selling cars of all time, the Honda Civic. The 1997 Civic Type R not only firmly cemented the the brand in the global hot hatch scene, but it was also the first Honda hot-hatch for sale in North America. The engine was pure nineties Honda performance: a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 182 horsepower that would spin to 8,200 revs.

Tweaked double-wishbone suspension ensured a light and lively handling feel to this front-drive hatch that was ready for a track day. A Helical LDS allowed drivers to drop the hammer earlier to blast out of corners, and the whole experience put on a heck of a show for the driver. The modern day Type R is beloved by many, but true gearheads refer to the EK9 as the icon in its history.

5 Renault Megane R26.R

2008

Fast forward to 2008 when Renault launches the Megane R26.R. Known for its track capabilities (as well as a Nurburgring record as one the fastest front-wheel drive car of its time), the R26.R drew on a considerable technological gene pool with its roots in the world of motorsports. The 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder made 227 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque.

The US missed out on the Megane R26.R, which pushed the hot-hatch scene ahead by heavily drawing on racing heritage to create one of the first factory-built, road-going race cars of the hot-hatch scene. Extensive weight reduction meant the scale showed just 2,716 pounds, with rear seats removed in place of a roll cage. Rear wiper? Radio? Sound insulation? Gone. Passenger airbag? Forget about it. You can probably forget about owning one too, since only 450 were ever built.

4 Audi RS3 Sportback

2011

The spec sheet of the Audi RS3 Sportback generations reads like an aspiring race car driver’s Christmas wish list, even in its original 2011 format. It debuted globally with a 2.5-liter five-pot and 335 hp, using all-wheel drive and a slew of RS-specific alterations. Its influence has been unmistakable. or its third-generation launch in 2021, engineers tweaked the famous 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine for more torque, and made this hot hatch the first Audi ever to come with a torque splitter.

This new take on a rear differential uses a separate clutch for each wheel to actively control the torque split across the rear axle to the benefit of handling and responsiveness. Each rear wheel is controlled by its own totally independent clutch, enabling superpowers like advanced torque vectoring and a Drift mode, like the Focus RSbefore it. With traction covered aptly, the RS3 Sportback makes excellent use of its oodles of horsepower, sent to the wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. With an enhanced version of a proven engine, new AWD innovations, and mighty punch from under the hood, the RS3 Sportback raises the bar with some of the very latest engineering and tech from one of the world’s leading AWD performance car manufacturers. Like many of the hot hatches on this list, however, the US only got the sedan version.

3 Fiesta ST

2012

The first Fiesta ST arrived in 2012, based on the sixth-generation Fiesta but with more aggressive exterior design, a twin exhaust under a rear diffuser, and bucket seats inside for spirited cornering. The Fiesta ST’s light weight, highly affordable price and frisky performance meant that this modern hot hatch stayed in stride with the souls of the originals from the 80s and 90s: This was an affordable hot hatch that stuck to the recipe, decades on.

Though its primary appeal may have been its price point, the Ford Fiesta ST was also noted for its low 5-year ownership costs by KBB – the lowest of all sporty compacts by the time 2017 rolled by. At its most basic, a hot-hatch should be cheap to buy, cheap to run, and fun to drive, and Ford accomplished that throughout the ST’s lifespan. By 2022, Ford had announced that the Fiesta would be retiring as it focused on other models, but not before the Fiesta ST had become a modern hot-hatch classic for budget-minded shoppers looking to get into weekend motorsports.

2 Focus RS

2015

Like the Renault 5 Turbo 2 long before it, the Ford Focus RS marked a very dramatic shift from the mainstream model on which it was built. Similarly to the Lancia Delta Integrale, the original Focus RS, launched in 2002, used a highly advanced AWD system. It was initially only available in Europe, and it wasn’t until 2015 that it really made a splash in the USA. A 300-hp version was available elsewhere in 2009, but the 2015 model arrived with a 2.3-liter turbo-four with 350 hp and just as much torque, and all-wheel drive. It’s that version that we add to the list, here.

It also debuted drive modes, Brembo brakes, Recaro seating, a specialized drift mode that reworked AWD and traction control systems to enable easier throttle steering, and a high-tech, electronically adjustable suspension that responded as drivers toggled through the drive modes.

Despite its captivating power output and innovative use of high-performance features and engineering, the Focus RS only lived for 3 years and remains a relatively rare find. Still, during its short life, the Focus RS advanced the hot-hatch game by offering impressive levels of speed and grip, along with no shortage of race-inspired cross-branding (Brembo brakes, Recaro seats) with plenty of that technological magic that ignites the brains of gearheads of all stripes.

1 Toyota GR Yaris

2020

In 2020, 33 years after the retirement of the Toyota AE86, came the Toyota GR Yaris. Just the second Toyota to wear the Gazoo Racing badge (right behind the GR Supra), the GR Yaris was developed directly from Toyota’s championship-winning WRC experience. It was built for competition with a lightweight, highly-rigid body on a dedicated new platform with a new three-door configuration. It comes powered by a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that’s good for 257 hp that’s sent to all four wheels. That’s sufficient for 0-60 in under 5.5 seconds if you can row the six-speed manual quickly enough. Traction’s no issue, and drives can set the torque bias from a 50:50 ‘Track’ mode to a 30:70 ‘Sport’ mode that emphasizes rear-wheel drive response characteristics– as well as a 60:40 ‘Normal’ mode as the default.

With the GR Yaris, Toyota built a hot hatch that pushed the scene ahead with another compelling option that strongly leveraged their technological gene pool, offered a unique power plant, and delivered a performance driving experience that was sure to make the competition take note. Sadly, it wasn’t for the US, so we got the next best thing: the Toyota GR Corolla.

Sources:
Audi, Ford,
KBB
, Toyota,
FCA Heritage