Chevrolet will bring the new Cruze Hatchback to dealers this autumn at a base $22,190.

Chevrolet is getting ready to roll out a new, five-door version of its compact Cruze model, a move that might have had industry analysts scratching their heads just a few years ago.

Back in the 1970s and ‘80s, hatchbacks were hot. But due to some poor designs and quality problems – notably leaky hatches – they earned a bad reputation as “penalty-box” cars and all but vanished from the market. Suddenly, however, the market appears to be heating up again, with manufacturers introducing new models and consumers responding enthusiastically.

“Automakers are responding to consumer demand for additional choice,” said David Sullivan, a senior automotive analyst with AutoPacific, Inc.

Adding new body styles, said Sullivan, can also help prop up passenger car nameplates that have been losing momentum as more and more U.S. buyers shift to sport- and crossover-utility vehicles, as well as other light truck lines.

The new Honda Civic Hatchback debuted in NY.

According to IHS Automotive, hatchback sales are growing substantially, though they still make up a relatively small share of the market. In 2005 they had a miniscule 2.6% share, but that rose to 4.8% last year and, IHS forecasts, that will reach 6.6% by 2020.

Those numbers are a bit fuzzy, however, as it can be difficult to determine exactly what vehicles fall into the hatchback category. Mazda, for example, calls the new CX-3 a crossover. The government classifies it as a hatchback. There are three Infiniti models that defy classification: the Q30 and QX30, as well as the QX50. Some classify the latter model as a CUV, others call it a hatchback. Still others count it in the wagon column.

The irony is that most crossovers really might have been called hatchbacks in the past, had that term not lost its luster, several industry insiders suggested.

The plug-in Prius Prime. The Toyota 5-door is the country's best-selling hybrid and hatchback.

A growing number of manufacturers seem willing to risk using the term, however. There’s the new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback which will go on sale this autumn at a starting price of $22,190 plus delivery fees. Honda will introduce a new five-door version of its ever-popular Civic about the same time.

(Click Here for more on the new Honda Civic Hatchback.)

The country’s most popular hybrid-electric vehicle, the Toyota Prius, is also the top-selling hatchback – racking up 118,000 sales in 2015.

Hyundai has seen a surge in demand for the Elantra GT, that version of its compact passenger car line recording a 24% increase in year-over-year sales last month. Ford has also done well with hatchbacks like the Fiesta and Focus, and the upcoming, high-performance version of the Focus will use a five-door body style.

Mini’s Hatchback is a mainstay of the brand, and even Ferrari might be considered a player in the segment with the recently updated and renamed GTC4 Lusso.

(Click Here for a look at the Ferrari hatchback.)

Is it a CUV or hatchback? The Mazda CX-3.

Even if demand continues to grow, American motorists will lag far behind their European counterparts, hatchbacks traditionally being one of that market’s most popular designs.

And that’s one reason the U.S. is beginning to see more of the three- and five-door models, explained analyst Sullivan.

“Manufacturers are taking their global vehicles and bringing them here to gain some incremental volume,” he said, adding “They can do it for relatively low cost since those vehicles are already being sold elsewhere.”

Other manufacturers, including Nissan, are rumored to be looking at their hatchback options for the U.S. Though these three- and five-door models likely will never grow in volume to the levels seen back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, industry analysts are betting they could continue to gain momentum as more new offering come to market.

(Click Here for a look at the hottest new models for 2017.)