WHERE NEXT FOR HOT HATCHES?

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the hot hatch landscape is going to change immeasurably in the next 10 years. Euro 7 emissions regulations and other political pressures in Europe mean that manufacturers will almost certainly not replace hot hatches currently on sale with like-for-like products, as has been the status quo for decades. Some have pretty much confirmed this, not least Hyundai, which will effectively retire the i20 and i30 N. Then there are the what-if cars that never even existed, the Mk4 Ford Focus RS chief among them. Pure combustion engines driving comparatively simple axles will be a thing of the past.

Hybridisation or even full electrification will be the answer, but nothing of this ilk has yet made it through to series production, so there is currently a vacuum between where the hot hatch market stands today and where it will soon need to be.

Peugeot toyed with the idea of putting its circa-400bhp PHEV powertrain into the 308 but, rather than try to charge £55,000 for the thing, instead chose the 508 as a vessel (and what a fine, interesting performance car the 508 PSE is too). With the Born, Cupra would seem well placed to make the leap into all-electric hot hatchery, although for now nothing is remotely close to being confirmed. Meanwhile, Mercedes-amg is known to be developing an electrically driven rear axle for its A45, and Audi, which is currently basking in the popularity of its RS line, could well follow suit.

Whatever crops up, it will be different from what we have now: heavier, more powerful and more complex. Perhaps more entertaining, but certainly also less organic. Or the product just won’t exist. As such, right now feels like the apogee for pure-ice hot hatches. Yes, they’re expensive, but if you like them as they are, fill thy boots. We’ll not see their like again.