Fastback Cars

A roofline that falls in one unbroken line to the tail. It describes the profile, not how the boot opens.

2 models

Fastback describes a profile: the roof drops in a single line from its highest point to the tail, with no notch above the rear window and no vertical panel closing off the back. It says nothing about the boot. A fastback can have a sedan’s separate lid or a liftback’s full tailgate, and telling which is which means looking at the shut lines rather than the silhouette.

The shape arrived in the 1930s as an aerodynamic idea, spent the 1960s as an American styling signature, and has returned for the original reason. Cutting drag is the cheapest range a battery car can be given, and the taper does it without touching the powertrain. The MG 07 and the smart #6 both use it. The costs land in the same two places every time: rear headroom, and how much of the boot opening stays usable once the glass slopes into it.

Models

07
EVHybrid
Coming Soon
07

MG's flagship fastback for China, replacing the MG 7. Five battery-electric trims opened pre-sales at ¥125,900 to ¥165,900 ($18,600 to $24,500), with a 67 kWh semi-solid-state pack on the cheaper versions and a 91 kWh CATL pack good for 845 km CLTC on the 800V versions. First MG fitted with lidar. A plug-in hybrid has been shown but not priced.

315 hp 845 km
#6
Hybrid
#6

The smart #6 EHD is the brand's first sedan and its largest model yet, a fastback plug-in hybrid for China built on Geely's SEA platform. The EHD powertrain pairs a 1.5T engine with an electric motor for 435 hp, with up to 285 km of electric range (CLTC) and a LiDAR unit as standard. Prices run from 179,900 to 229,900 yuan (about $25,100 to $32,100).

435 hp 285 km FWD
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a fastback and a hatchback?
They describe different things, so a car can be both. Fastback is a roof shape: one continuous line from the roof's high point down to the tail. Hatchback is an opening: a tailgate that includes the rear window. Plenty of fastbacks have a conventional boot lid and are not hatchbacks at all.
Is a fastback the same as a coupe?
No. Coupe traditionally refers to the cabin and its door count, fastback only to the roofline. Four-door fastbacks are common, and several manufacturers sell exactly that car under a four-door coupe name, which is a marketing description rather than a body-style one.
Why do electric cars use fastback shapes?
Drag. An unbroken taper keeps airflow attached further back and leaves a smaller wake behind the car, which matters more on an EV than on a combustion model because motorway range is set largely by aerodynamic losses. The notch behind a sedan's rear window is the feature the shape removes.
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