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Comment by CalChris | Hacker News Reader

The Nissan Leaf is a hatchback. The Tesla Model S is a hatchback. So is the Y. You might be right about real Amuricuns but the EV buying segment rather likes hatchbacks. With the exception of one SUV, which I did not like, every car I've ever owned since my first Honda Civic has been a hatchback.

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Oh, Americans actually like vehicles that happen to have a large hatch in the back, but they do not like cars that are shaped like hatchbacks. The Model S is shaped like a sports sedan. It does not look like a hatchback.

It is however a hatchback. I dump my bike in the back as I have with every hatchback I've owned. You can even camp in the back. But if you prefer, you can call it a liftback.

I've been under the impression that hatchback versus lift back depends on the car's dimensions. A longer car with a shape closer to a conventional sedan would be a liftback and a shorter/boxier car with a shape closer to a traditional SUV would be a hatchback. But it is essentially the same.

If you think a hatchback doesn't look the way you expect a hatchback to look, then your expectation of what hatchbacks look like is obviously wrong and should be updated.

If I had to guess, what you think of as "looks like a hatchback" is actually 'two-box' while "shaped like a sedan" is 'three-box.' Three-box hatchbacks have been around for decades though.

I believe the Model S is better described as a liftback than a hatchback.

I think hatchbacks are unpopular in the US for the same reason automatic gearboxes are unpopular in the UK: automakers price them higher and in the smaller car segments (where hatchbacks are more prevalent) carbuyers are more price-sensitive. I don’t know why carmakers price them higher - it seems artificial.

My model 3 has an enclosed trunk. Why would you call it a hatchback?

Doh, you're right. (Corrected) I have an S and the 3 isn't a hatchback (but the Y is). Need coffee. And indeed that was the reason I didn't get the 3 when it came out. The S is a little big for me but the 3 isn't a hatchback. I really like the Y though.

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