These 19 vehicles won’t see 2021
Calendar year 2020 was full of unpredictable events. The frequency with which major automobile manufacturers announced the disappearance of passenger car nameplates, however, was rather more anticipated.
The decline of Canada’s passenger car market is less of a slide and more of a cliff dive. Barely more than 20 percent of vehicles now sold in Canada are sedans and their relatives: coupes, convertibles, hatchbacks, and wagons.
The result, in an alwaysevolving Canadian auto industry, is a list of 19 disappearing vehicles that includes 17 cars which won’t earn a 2021 model year.
Only two years ago, these 17 cars combined for more than 34,000 sales in Canada. Next year, aside from a trickle of leftover 2020s, there will be zero. Nada. Zilch. Diddlysquat.
Will you remember them? In some cases, most definitely. A few of 2020’s disappearing vehicles were major success stories. Others that were unknown even during series production — well, their absence won’t leave a hole in our subconscious, let alone our hearts.
There are, of course, replacements, though most are hardly direct replacements. You’ve heard of the GMC Hummer EV, Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport, and Mustang Mach-e. Then there’s the Genesis GV80, Infiniti QX55, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Nissan Ariya, and Volkswagen Taos. These are all SUVS and crossovers of one sort or another. Now, for every disappearing car, try to find an all-new passenger car nameplate.
With no room made for defunct trim levels or distinct powertrain variants, these are the 19 vehicles disappearing from the Canadian automotive marketplace at the end of 2020, with a little history on some.
BUICK REGAL (2011-2020)
With upmarket intentions, handsome overall design, and plenty of available performance, the Buick Regal ticked plenty of boxes on paper. In the real world, however, the Regal was a nameplate from yesteryear attempting to tackle sports sedans such as the Audi A4 and Acura TLX.
The Regal was caught in a no-man’s land between highvolume mainstream competitors such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry and the aforementioned premium alternatives. In its second year on the market, Regal sales plunged 58 percent to only 740 units and never reached four-digits again.
DODGE JOURNEY (2009-2020)
The Dodge Journey wasn’t the best family crossover in 2009. More than a decade later, admittedly with a Pentastar V6 engine option that wasn’t available at launch, the Dodge Journey hasn’t miraculously become a topnotch family crossover. The Journey’s lack of critical praise didn’t stop it from being a high-volume seller. A total of 29,021 Journeys were sold in Canada in 2011. Unfortunately for Dodge, only 2,704 Journeys were sold in 2019. Honda Fit (2007-2020) It wasn’t the best-selling subcompact. It wasn’t the cheapest nor the most attractive. But the Honda Fit was generally regarded to be the cleverest. Thanks to a second-row Magic Seat that flipped and folded to create a multi-dimensional cargo area, the Fit was basically a mini-minivan. And the Fit did sell, peaking at 14,836 in 2008. Alas, along with a dying subcompact segment, Fit sales fell 71 percent between 2014 and 2019.
FORD FUSION (2006-2020)
You don’t have to rewind far to discover a period in which the Ford Fusion was Canada’s midsize king. In 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2014, the Fusion topped all rivals, hitting 20,145 sales in 2013. But the midsize segment is now a shadow of its former self, and Ford has no desire to compete over shrinking margins in a shrinking category — not when there are Broncos and Explorers and Mustang Mach-es to sell.
TOYOTA YARIS (2006-2020)
Not only was the Yaris Canada’s best-selling subcompact in 2008 (with more than 40,000 units sold), it was Canada’s sixth-best-selling vehicle overall, full stop. The Yaris was big business for Toyota, accounting for one-fifth of the brand’s sales that year.
Since 2014, when only 8,530 copies were sold, Yaris volume tumbled 27 per cent. Now the Yaris being sold in Canada is actually a Mazda 2 that’s not sold in Canada — and quite clearly an unpopular Mazda at that.
CHEVROLET IMPALA (2000-2020)
The Chevrolet Impala’s storied heritage stretches back to 1958. The last Impala, despite far-better-than-expected execution, never stood a chance. The market for fullsize sedans is evaporating and GM had inextricably linked the nameplate to daily rental fleets and discount pricing.
GM tried to chase a different corner of the market with the 10th-generation Impala, but that corner held few buyers. In 2018 and 2019, there were fewer than 8,000 Impalas sold in Canada. More than 21,000 Impalas were sold in Canada in 2006.
HYUNDAI ACCENT (1994-2020)
Over 460,000 Hyundai Accents have been sold in Canada since 1994. For 10 consecutive years between 2009 and 2018, the Accent was Canada’s best-selling subcompact car. In fact, even in the recent past, the Accent dominated the category with market share of 26 percent in 2016.
How quickly the past is forgotten. Accent sales crumbled over the last half-decade, sliding 74 percent between 2014 and 2019. Hyundai has moved on. The front-wheel-drive Venue crossover now serves as the brand’s entry point.
HONDA CIVIC COUPE (1993-2020)
As compact coupes such as the Elantra, Focus, and Forte were put out to pasture alongside previously extinguished compact coupes like the Sentra, Impreza, and Cobalt, we knew we could always count on the twodoor Honda Civic. Or at least we thought we could, until Honda put the coupe version of Canada’s long-time bestselling car on notice.
It’s easier, say automakers, to turn a handful of coupe buyers into sedan buyers than it would ever be to turn sedan buyers into coupe owners. So now the Civic Coupe rests in not-so-illustrious company alongside the Dodge Neon Coupe and the Ford Escort ZX2.
DODGE GRAND CARAVAN (1984-2020)
Yes, the 12-year-old fifthgeneration Caravan is finally calling it quits. But the Grand Caravan isn’t exactly going away. Once again, Chrysler/ Dodge/plymouth minivan nameplates are being shuffled.
In the U.S., the Pacificabased sixth-gen “Grand Caravan” is taking on the Chrysler Voyager name. In Canada, it’ll be called the Chrysler Grand Caravan. Dodge Grand Caravan sales, meanwhile, have cratered as Canada’s minivan market collapses. Since 2006, Grand Caravan volume has fallen by 56 percent.
The others also on the discontinued list:
• Hyundai Elantra GT (2013-2020)
• Jaguar XE (2017-2020)
• Lincoln Continental (2017-2020)
• Cadillac CT6 (2016-2020) Alfa Romeo 4C (2015-2020)
• BMW i8 (2015-2020)
• Acura RLX (2014-2020)
• Lincoln MKZ (2007-2020)
• Mercedes-benz SLC (1997-2020)
• Lexus GS (1993-2020)