Features / 4 January 2024 / Michael Taylor

Hot hatchbacks South Africa is missing out on

South Africa has access to a lot of great hot hatchbacks, but there are also a few we are still missing out on.

While 2023 saw the introduction of several highly-anticipated models, other automakers are still hesitant to roll out their compact performance cars – some of which could fill an important gap in the market.

What we are missing

This year welcomed the new VW Golf R, Toyota GR Corolla, Renault Megane RS, Honda Civic Type R, and Mercedes-AMG A-Class – all of which have impressive stats to make you consider them as your next choice for a track day car.

This is in addition to models already on the local market, such as the Toyota GR Yaris, the Audi RS3, the Hyundai i30 N, and the VW Polo and Golf GTI, making for a fleshed-out line-up.

Unfortunately, many of the hot hatches that South Africa doesn’t have are also the cheaper ones, relatively speaking, which can be attributed to a number of factors.

Arguably the most notable case is the Hyundai i20 N, which is the more affordable counterpart to the i30 N and competes with the Polo GTI in much the same way that its sibling competes with the Golf GTI.

Hyundai has unfortunately said it has no intention to bring the i20 N to our shores, and this is on top of the loss of two models from Ford that could have filled a similar role.

The Ford Fiesta ST was previously sold in South Africa, and while many can still be found on pre-owned sites, the Fiesta has officially been discontinued around the world, putting an end to the classic nameplate.

The other option is the Ford Focus ST, but this is sadly not available on the tip of Africa, and the Focus itself is scheduled to end its run in 2025, according to AutoCar UK.

Two other hot hatches worth mentioning are the Mazda 3 Turbo, which offers an enormous power boost over the naturally-aspirated units we already have on offer locally, and the Cupra Leon 300 – a product of Spanish carmaker Seat’s racing division – bearing in mind that Seat once had a presence in South Africa.