RUST IN PEACE
LACK OF DEMAND IS JUST ONE REASON VEHICLES DRIVE OFF INTO THAT GREAT PARKING LOT IN THE SKY
Although General Motors walked back plans to discontinue its Bolt — GM’S first mass-market electric vehicle, now destined to return in some form — a wide variety of automakers entered 2024 short a vehicle or two. May these nameplates rust in peace.
We reported in December 2022 on a number of vehicles that drove off into that great parking lot in the sky. The list included Stellantis’ Brampton cars (the Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger, and Chrysler 300), which should have seen production cease on Dec. 22; as well as the Nissan Maxima, Ford Transit Connect, and a Chevrolet Trax, which was since reincarnated. This year, the Canadian auto industry’s list of discontinued vehicles for 2024 isn’t as car-centric — in other words, there are SUVS on the kill list, too.
Lack of demand isn’t the only reason a vehicle can find itself on the chopping black. Other factors can include the location of assembly plants, regulatory changes or unexpected successes elsewhere in a manufacturer’s lineup.
We’ve included confirmed industry departures for the purposes of our recap. We’re left with 10 vehicles that won’t reappear in 2024.
AUDI TT
A quarter-century after the original TT debuted, Audi cancels the more affordable end of the company’s sports-car lineup following three generations. The TT is — and always will be — a design icon. As recently as 2017, Audi Canada managed to move 621 TTS. In 2022, only 69 were delivered.
AUDI R8
Two decades after the R8 was introduced in concept form as the Le Mans at Geneva’s International Motor Show, Audi cancels the less affordable end of the company’s sports-car lineup. Audi produced over 5,000 R8s for global consumption in 2008; fewer than 1,800 just a decade later.
FIAT 500X
Fiat’s brief flirtation with Canadian success revolved exclusively around the 500, exclusively at the beginning of its tenure. The front-wheeldrive 500L, however, was an abject flop, and the subcompact crossover that was the 500X fared no differently. Fiat has mustered a grand total of 2,496 500X sales since 2015, and only 265 since 2018.
JEEP CHEROKEE
The strength of the Cherokee nomenclature suggests it won’t be long before Jeep brings the nameplate back. Yet for now, the Cherokee heads off toward the sunset. Jeep sold nearly 23,000 Cherokees in its first full year (2014) and followed that up with two consecutive years above the 31K mark. Cherokee sales were less than half that strong by pre-pandemic 2019, and only 6,371 units in 2022.
JEEP RENEGADE
For all its success south of the border the smallest Jeep bore little fruit in Canada. Built in Italy alongside its platform partner, the Fiat 500X, Jeep’s Renegade failed to catch on in Canada. Fewer than 13,000 have been sold since the Renegade’s 2015 launch; fewer than 1,200 since 2020.
KIA RIO
The collapse of Canada’s subcompact car segment, the most affordable corner of the industry, leaves nearly no automakers unscathed. With plenty of competition, Kia sold 7,636 Rios in Canada in 2016. With barely a subcompact competitor in sight, Kia sold 6,054 Rios in 2022.
KIA STINGER
Kia’s experiment with high-performance sports sedans — at least of the internal-combustion variety — grinds to a halt with the cancellation of the Stinger. Between the end of 2017 and the end of the 2023’s third quarter, Kia Canada reported 7,109 Stinger sales.
MAZDA CX-9
To be fair, Mazda’s hardly getting out of the three-row crossover business. Moreover, Mazda isn’t even eliminating the CX-9’S alphanumeric nomenclature. The Japanese brand has simply added a ‘0.’
The CX-9’S best year ever was recent — 2021 produced 4,530 CX-9 sales in Canada. Combined, CX-9 and CX-90 sales in the first 11 months of 2023 totalled 6,187 units.
MERCEDES-BENZ CLS-CLASS
Nearly two decades and three generations after arriving as a decidedly rakish “four-door coupe” offshoot of the conventional E-class, Mercedes-benz erases the Cls-class from its lineup, along with two-door versions of the E-class, as well. In the U.S., the CLS accounted for 30 per cent of the tandem’s volume in 2005; and only two per cent in 2018.
NISSAN QASHQAI
Under the “Rogue Sport” banner, the Qashqai was eliminated from Nissan’s U.S. lineup following the 2022 model year. Nissan sold 19,662 Qashqais in 2018, more than any other subcompact crossover. Qashqai sales in 2022 were off that bestseller pace by 46 per cent.