The Scarab Flare RS, the hatch model of the 90’s Flare, with a lighter tune and geared towards the younger audience.
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##1996 Megacorp CSC2 S4N
The all-new for 1996 Megacorp CSC2 S4N is the car for you if what you want with a practical and affordable hot hatch. Powered by our new DO96-I4 1.8N-MPI engine, it produces 129 hp and 116 lb-ft of torque. This brings it from 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and to a top speed of 215 km/h while still achieving 34 mpg.
Shown here in Outback Orange, the sporty design includes five spoke 16" alloy wheels, a subtle body kit, wing, and HID headlamps.
Inside, you’ll find a 6-speed manual transmission, four comfortable seats and a high quality cassette stereo, new traction control and anti-lock braking systems, as well as all the safety features you come to expect.
The CSC2 S4N can be yours for only $14,300. Megacorp Incorporated is the logical choice for your transportation needs.
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@gridghost Gotta say, that looks absolutely awesome, even better that it’s AWD. Styling looks a tad too modern though for the 90s, but perhaps I’m being picky (NOT a criticism, it’s a great looking car!)
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possibly a tad, but it does put me in mind of mid 90’s JDM hot hatches. actually Japanese JDMs, not JDM Breh JDM.
Shit, I.may not get my entry in in time.
Ya, i can see that it’s a tad too modern, but my thoughts were in the line of marrying the 90’s Civic type R with the G3 impreza and get it to look 90’s 
Seems that i wasn’t too far off then
Nah, that makes more sense now. Interesting inspirations too!
#Presenting the 1996 Mott Works Gemini
A rather large hot hatch* with an ultra efficient 1.6L I4 that produces 160hp, making for exactly 100hp/L, which propels the car to 60 in just 6.8 seconds. Keeping the weight down was a key part in the design of this car, using an all aluminum body and engine, as well as a lightweight entertainment system that meant a weight of just 2160lb, despite the rather large size. This low weight helped us achieve our very high economy figure of 40mpg, and also allowed for improved cornering, up to 1.14g on its 205 width sports tires.
*Technically this is a 4 door sedan, but with the available morphs it looks more like a hatch so thats what I’m calling it
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I now have over 30 entries! 
And to make things worse there are only 2 entries that are clearly inferior… Yup, 30+ entries I have a hairs width of difference to separate them by! 
Lessons for anyone who wants them:
1: Be brutal with your budget as mine was too generous
2: Be willing to accept that if someone has the wiggle-room to slip in a dark horse, they WILL do so!
3: Be willing to tread on the toes of the old-timers and let a newbie win if they deserve to do so… 
4: Seems like everybody likes hot-hatches so never, NEVER host a hot hatch challenge, EVER!!! 
Also, there are just over 11 hours left for anyone who hasn’t entered so far to do so… I’m off to test another 8 entrants, 
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To be fair, I had 30 entries for my Cop Car challenge so it’s a hit and miss. Try to knock out ten reviews a day if you can, that’s what I did. Sadly that literally meant: Go to work, come home, do reviews, go to sleep, repeat for three days.
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[innocent face] I would never!! [/innocent face]
Yeah sometimes I just get a wild hair and cant help myself.
Yeah, you’d think with all the Bullshit powerful cars we build here that we’re hypercar mad, but truth is that hot hatches by far rule the roost. There have been more in depth write-ups and tournaments of hot hatch shootouts than any other class of car in Automation.
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Hot hatches and muscle cars for the win
I also reviewed the entrants’ cars 10 at a time (even going as far as to write the reviews in advance) when I hosted CSR26, but it turned out well for me in the end.
###Built to Perfection.
##Built to Last
#Loe Mathas.
This is the Rallye, built by Loe Mathas. You’ve probably never heard of Loe Mathas. What they like to make is Race Cars. What they’ve done here is make their rally car, the RC08, into a road machine.
How did they do that? Well, removed the rear drive system (Now L-FWD) and lowered the V6’s power/tune to a more reasonable degree (and we got rid of the Turbos.) Now she makes a nice 157hp and a weight of 1158kg.
It may not be the fastest, but she is a beaut of a driver.
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we can always trust you to make something that looks way outta left field, I love it.
The Citroen of the Automation forum???
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Looks like the long lost cousin of a Lancia Delta, but styled like it appeared in some 90s movie about the future. And a V6! On a hot hatch! So yeah, definetley the Citroen of the Automation Forum @strop 
Well it’s good that this is happening now. Does anyone remember the Hot Hatch review from February 2015 on AutomationHub (Link here)? I’m keen to see how the hothatches of ‘today’ (if two years ago on automation can even be called ‘today’) rank up against their older relatives from the 90s…
Also, dear god, any market analyst would tell you that this was the most saturated market in the world! 
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## **1996 Komodo Strava / 1996 Maesima NV-X**
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By the late 1990s with the collapse of the USSR and end of the Cold War. Anikatia was getting large flows of foreign investment and pretty much all elements of the old Soviet-style economy were gone replaced by a Chinese-style state capitalism. So in light of this greater freedom, Maesima felt it was the right time to break into the Western markets. This began with the first vehicle design for the Western markets the luxury Maesima NL-992 later to be known as the Senatos.
Following that was the series of NRZ rear drive sports cars, the relatively innocuous predecessor to the Avellca the NV-993 and then the sportier NR hatchback coupe based on the NV-993 chassis. So that left Maesima without any real decent compact. The local Anikatian market had the NV-988 hatch and antiquated NV-975 compacts which wouldn’t cut it in the West.
So instead they team up the innovative Japanese company Komodo Motors, which was at the time was showing heavy interest in Maesima. In exchange for access to advanced engines and technology of Komodo Motors, Maesima would agree to fixed terms and supply the cheap labour costs while providing the exterior design, frame, body panels, interior and entertainments equipment under the supervision of Komodo staff. The entertainments equipment was designed in Japan under license for Komodo Motors by constructed in Anikatia to reduce costs.
Although for Maesima the NV-X only sold from 1994-1998 it was without question one of the most advanced compact vehicles for the company for many years. Featuring company first multilink rear suspension and a 6-speed gearbox sourced from Komodo Motors. It’s direct successor the NV-998 or Prova as it would come to be known lacked many of these features but sold well nonetheless. The NV-X, on the other hand, was an immediate success for the company. Which was struggling with it’s larger NL-992 in Western markets.
The Maesima NV-X was directed to be the more economical and user-friendly of the twins. Softer springs to help for everyday usability, lower running costs, and better-equipped entertainment systems. The Design looked sleek and modern, sharing many components with the sportier twin, the Komodo Strava. But this car was more for getting from Point A to Point B comfortably and economically, with maybe a bit of fun in store occasionally.
The NV-X was memorable for its launch campaign that featured the Spice Girls - Wannabe. The original television commercial featured members from the group riding in a Maesima NV-X in the Mojave Desert.
The Komodo Strava, on the other hand, was something for the budget enthusiast. It’s more aggressive and upmarket styling, wider flared arches, and wider and sportier tyres signalled its performance credentials. Offering 12 kW (16 HP) increase in power over the NV-X, lighter kerb weight, shorter and more aggressive final drive ratio, along with a retuned stiffer sports suspension setup.
For the Australian market, the Maesima NV-X and Komodo Strava were the newcomers to the market but contemporary to Saminda C3s, new Zavir Cittadino III Sportivo, and the larger Erin Merna X. While the NV-X would take on the more economy focused low-end trims, the Strava was intended to take the fight to these notable brands.
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Wow. The NV-X looks so realistic. Not just because you’ve really captured 90s design styles, but because it looks so professional. Cannot wait to see how it racks up against the rest of the competition!
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The 1996 Kimura Hana KRS. Taking rally pedigree and power to the next, affordable level.
With a 1.5 Liter turbocharged inline-4 producing 150 PS, the sports trim of the Hana, the KRS, is capable of achieving great fun anytime, anywhere. Sport-tuned suspension with components shared with the sports-oriented Incanto Coupe allow for thrills in the corners, whilst optional AWD (not shown in this model) helps the Hana KRS prove it’s worth off-road. Not only that, but the Hana KRS is affordable; starting at under $14,000, it’s a hard deal to beat. And, of course, with Kimura’s famed rallying pedigree, it is tried-and-tested around rally courses and was named champion of 1996’s season of the WRC after Toyota’s ban.
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