Editing Notchback (section)

{{Short description|Type of car design}}
[[File:Three box notchback Fiat 124.jpg|thumb|The [[three-box styling|three-box]], notchback design of the [[Fiat 124 Coupé]]]]
[[File:Hatchback three box.jpg|thumb|A [[three-box styling|three-box]] liftback in notchback form—with its vestigial ''third box'', the [[Ford Escort (Europe)#Ford Escort Mark III (1980–1986)|European Ford Escort]] ]]

A '''notchback''' is a car design with the rear section distinct from the passenger compartment and where the back of the passenger compartment is at an angle to the top of what is typically the rear baggage compartment.<ref>{{cite web |title=Notchback definition and meaning |publisher=Collins English Dictionary |url = https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/notchback |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> Notchback cars have "a trunk whose lid forms a distinct deck."<ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of Notchback |url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/notchback |publisher=Merriam-Webster Dictionary |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref> In profile view, the body has a step down from the roof with a downward inclined passenger compartment's rear window to meet an almost horizontal trunk lid extending to the rear of the car.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tudose |first1=Sergiu |title=Fastback Revolution: Here's Why You'll Soon Be Saying Goodbye to All Four-Door Sedans |url= https://www.autoevolution.com/news/fastback-revolution-here-s-why-you-ll-soon-have-to-say-goodbye-to-all-four-door-sedans-222034.html |work=autoevolution |date=30 September 2023 |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref>

The category may be characterized as having a [[car body configurations#three-box design|three-box design]] where the [[trunk (car)|trunk]] volume is less pronounced than the engine and passenger compartments.<ref>{{cite web |author=((Hearst Autos Research)) |title=What is a Sedan? Car Buying Tips |url= https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31488018/what-is-a-sedan/ |access-date=11 January 2024}}</ref>

Many models of [[Sedan (automobile)|sedans]], [[coupé]]s, or [[hatchback]]s could be classified as notchbacks. However, the category has limited salience outside American car manufacturers, who distinguish the three-box models from other body styles in the same model range. For example, the [[Chevrolet Vega]] range included both a notchback coupe and a [[fastback]] coupe.