Yahoo Movies These Vehicles Are Discontinued for 2020
Death has come, as it must for all vehicles, to these machines. They have not survived in production to see the 2020 model year. Their names have been erased, their marketing forgotten, and from now on they will haunt the back rows of third-tier used-car lots. They are ghosts.
Many of the vehicles that are passing away simply aren’t right for the current market. As SUVs and wimpier crossovers define the vehicle market in the United States, it’s easy for manufacturers to dismiss coupes, sedans, and wagons as distractions from where the money truly is. No pickups, no SUVs, and no crossovers made this list (but we have lost so many of those in years past).
Let us now pause for a moment of silence. Real people invested their lives designing, engineering, marketing, and selling these vehicles. Okay, moment over. Here are the doomed. Interested in knowing what cars have been sent to Davy Jone's locker for 2021? Click here.
BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo (2013-2019)
BMW has taken all its Gran Turismo mongrels out behind the barn and offed them. Awkward looking from every angle, bulbous without quite being a crossover, the 3-series Gran Turismo was a BMW no one even remembered was in production. And dealers could always steer buyers toward an X3. BMW didn’t break Gran Turismo sales out from other 3-series in sales reports.
2019 sales through October: not many
BMW’s 6-Series Gran Turismo (2018-2019)
Barely out of its cradle, the 6-series Gran Turismo was an unloved child. What it had going for it was that it was less goony looking than the awkward 5-series Gran Turismo. Still, in a weird way, the 6-series Gran Turismo was kind of a sweet thing to drive. After introduction of the 8-series in 2019, the Gran Turismo was the only 6-series left in the line. Buyers of 2019 6-series Gran Turismos were so anemic, they could all sit in the bleachers of small high school gymnasium.
2019 sales through October: 1118*
*Total includes other leftover 6-series models
Buick Cascada (2016-2019)
Scrounging around in the Opel product portfolio, GM discovered the Cascada convertible, slapped some Buick badges on it, and shipped it to America. Americans didn’t seem to notice, though some Cascadas show up in rental fleets in sunny vacation spots where tourists want to get a tan. Now that GM has sold off Opel to some sucker, the Cascada’s death was inevitable. In 2016 Buick sold 7153 Cascadas, and by 2018 that number dwindled to 4136.
2019 sales through September: 2458*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Buick LaCrosse (2005-2019)
In its third generation, the Buick LaCrosse had evolved into a beautiful large sedan. But what sells for Buick in the U.S. is the crossover. The LaCrosse was bumped off in North America when the last one came off the line in February 2019. Production will continue in China for domestic consumption there. In 2014 Buick sold more the 50,000 LaCrosse sedans. In 2005, it had put 92,669 into customers’ garages. By 2018, sales were down to 15,527.
2019 sales through September: 1389*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Buick Regal (1973-2020)
The Buick Regal GS sedan, Regal Sportback five-door, and Regal TourX will not survive beyond the 2020 model. And once they’re gone, Buick will be left selling nothing but crossovers. It makes business sense, but when the last Regal is sold, Buick will end its continuous production of cars since 1903. That’s 118 model years. Yes, that’s kind of sad. Combined sales of all three models during 2018 was only 14,118 cars.
2019 sales through September: 8849*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Cadillac CTS (2002-2019)
Cadillac took the CTS, its mid-size, rear-drive sedan, out of production back in January 2019. It has been replaced by the dorky CT5 for 2020. Alas, as the CTS passes, it takes the fire-breathing, supercharged, 640-horsepower CTS-V with it. CTS sales peaked way back in 2005 when 61,512 moved off dealer lots. Only 11,219 found homes in 2018.
2019 sales through September: 5999*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Cadillac XTS (2013-2019)
The last front-drive Cadillac sedan, the XTS became a mainstay of livery services. If you were being picked up at the airport, the XTS was a welcome site. Our nominee to replace it in that role is the XT6, which should get a better name than XT6.
2019 sales through September: 10,242*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Chevrolet Cruze (2011-2019)
Chevy has built some crappy small cars through the years, like the disintegrating Vega, the sloppy Cavalier, and the plain horrid Chevette. But the Cruze was always pretty. Clearly the best of all Chevy subcompact cars. As GM runs away from cars into crossovers, the loss of the Cruze is somehow poignant. In 2014 Chevy sold 273,060 Cruzes, but that had dwindled to 142,617 during 2018. Production ended last March.
2019 sales through September: 45,276*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Chevrolet Volt (2011-2019)
GM’s moon-shot experiment with a serial hybrid system was successful in everything except sales. Slick in execution and easy to live with, the Chevy Volt lasted two generations. And now it’s a historical footnote in the automotive world’s march towards electrification. Sales peaked at 23,461 in 2012.
2019 sales through September: 4540*
*GM now reports sales quarterly
Ford Fiesta (1978-2019)
The wee Ford Fiesta will be missed in the U.S. even as it continues to be one of Ford’s best-sellers worldwide. While the first-generation Fiesta appeared in Europe back in 1976, it didn't make it to the States until the 1978 model year. And it was withdrawn after 1980, taking a dirt nap until it was revived for the U.S. in 2011. The Fiesta that will be missed is that sweet and snotty squirt, the ST.
2019 sales through September: 52,833*
*Ford now reports sales quarterly
Ford Flex (2009-2019)
Working in the same stylistic vein as the late Honda Element and Scion xB, Ford’s Flex was the biggest “box car” of them all. Slab sided, blunt nosed, and flat roofed, it was immensely practical and almost defiantly iconoclastic. Built on the D4 platform it shared with the later Explorer and Taurus models, much of its engineering can be traced back to Volvo, which Ford owned for a while. It's now officially a no Ford Flex zone.
2019 sales through September: 18,337*
*Ford now reports sales quarterly
Ford Taurus (1986-2019)
The Ford Taurus may be timidly slinking out of the market now, but when it was introduced as a 1986 model it revolutionized the market for family cars in the U.S. It was a very big deal, and it provoked other manufacturers like Toyota and Honda to respond with even better Camrys and Accords. In 1992, Ford sold an astonishing 409,751 Tauruses. Only 36,088 found homes in 2018.
2019 sales through September: 12,494*
*Ford now reports sales quarterly
Honda Clarity EV
The Honda Clarity was always something of a limited-production experiment. Offered as a battery-electric, a hybrid, or a fuel-cell electric, the Clarity was there for Honda to test the waters, put some leading-edge vehicles out on the road, and then evaluate the experience before launching more mainstream versions. Will we miss the Clarity EV? Meh. But fear not green-folk, the Clarity PHEV and FCV remain.
Infiniti Q70 and Q70L (2014–2019)
Infiniti shrunk its lineup to just two cars for the 2020 model year. The Q70, and its extended wheelbase version Q70 L could be equipped with an optional 416-hp V-8 engine and all-wheel drive. The smooth ride and extra power wasn't enough to overcome its heavy steering characteristics, and when compared to other large luxury sedans, the charming parts of the Q70 were often overlooked.
2019 sales through December: TBA
Infiniti QX30 (2017–2019)
Like leftovers in the refrigerator, the Infiniti QX30 wasn't here for long, and nobody wanted it. The QX30 existed with the help of a partnership with Mercedes-Benz, who provided both the powertrain and platform from their CLA- and GLA-class. Unfortunately this subcompact didn't rival its competition in fuel economy, cargo space, or price, but its warranty and expressive styling helped its appeal.
2019 sales through December: TBA
Jaguar XJ (1968-2019)
After 52 years of production, Jaguar has finally offed the XJ. This large luxury sedan was one of the few cars that actually merited its designation as a flagship. While there won’t be a 2020 Jag XJ, the name is expected to soon be revived as an all-electric machine. That luxo-zapper may appear as soon as the 2021 model year.
2019 sales through October: 995
Lincoln MKC (2015 to 2019)
The Lincoln MKC was easily overlooked with its anonymous name and generic looks, even as the market for compact crossovers boomed. It was basically a Lincoln-ized version of the Ford Escape. It has been replaced by the 2020 Lincoln Corsair, which has a much better name and infinitely better interior.
2019 sales through September: 18,266*
*Ford and Lincoln now report sales quarterly
Lincoln MKT (2010 to 2019)
Brother to the Ford Flex, the MKT was an odd thing and wore the Lincoln name awkwardly. Sort of a station wagon and not really an SUV or crossover, it sort of puttered along selling to livery services even as it was ignored by the general buying public. Sales peaked at a measly 7435 in 2010. It will not be directly replaced in the Lincoln line, and few will mourn its passing.
2019 sales through September: 3113*
*Ford and Lincoln now report sales quarterly
Smart Fortwo (1998-2019)
Finally, the United States has rid itself of the Smart Fortwo and EQ Fortwo, terrible rabbit turds that only masochists and fools bought. Masochistic fools bought two. The ForTwo lasted three generations in the U.S. and dribbled off to its death in coupe and topless form with an electric drivetrain. This isn’t a fond farewell, it’s good riddance. In 2018, the Smart brand sold 1276 vehicles in total in the U.S. In a market of 17.27 million new vehicles, that’s 0.00007 percent of sales.
2019 sales through October: 626
Toyota Prius C (2012-2019)
The Prius C always felt like the half-effort Prius. Not only was it smaller than other vehicles wearing the name, it always felt comparatively crude and somehow unfinished. And the one we tested in 2018 needed an agonizing 11.4 seconds to reach 60 mph while emitting an excruciating engine drone. Toyota sold 8399 during 2018.
2019 sales through January 2019*: 323
*Toyota hasn’t reported Prius C sales since January 2019.
Volkswagen Beetle (1998-2019)
Memories of the mania that accompanied the introduction of the front-engine, front-drive, built-in-Mexico “New Beetle” has faded. It was big news, and demand for the car was intense. VW sold 83,434 of them in 1999 alone. But the novelty wore out, and the introduction of a second-generation Volkswagen Beetle for 2012 didn’t change the trajectory. Only 14,411 were sold in 2018.
2019 sales through October: 16,503
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack (2018-2019)
Successor to the Jetta wagon, the Golf SportWagen and its all-wheel drive, Outback-wannabe Alltrack were attractive to some. But most of them weren’t spending money on it, and the SUV and crossover juggernaut rolled right over it. Volkswagen didn’t break the SportWagen and Alltrack sales out from other Golfs.
2019 sales through October: TBA
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