RUST IN PEACE
Vehicles that won’t make it into 2019
A lot of good cars (and a few not-so-good ones) are being killed off this year.
Most of these vehicles are passenger sedans, a result of countless consumers making the switch to cheaper and more capable SUVs.
Ford made big headlines when it announced it would kill off all its cars, save for the Mustang. And Chevrolet will do the same with many of its cars in the coming years.
Here are the cars that are being discontinued, with sales data for the course of each vehicle’s run from GoodCarBadCar and Carsalesbase. BUICK CASCADA (2016 TO 2018)
The Buick Cascada wanted to be a competitor for the Audi A5 convertible, but in reality was just an orphan in GM’s lineup. We barely even knew this vehicle because it was only around for a short period of time in the United States. On top of that, it was little more than a rebadged Opel, sold at about the same price as a BMW 2 Series. U.S. sales: 13,666 Canadian sales: N/A CHEVROLET CITY EXPRESS (2014 TO 2018)
Built to fill a gap but failing to sell well enough to do the job, the City Express was Chevy’s attempt to upset the Ford Transit Connect. We doubt anyone reading this even knew it existed. U.S. sales: 28,287 Canadian sales: 1,878 FORD FIESTA (2014 TO 2018)
In a similar vein to the Focus, the little Ford Fiesta just wasn’t practical enough to outdo a crossover, even with its low price and good fuel economy. As with the Focus, this means we will also see the end of the Fiesta ST hot hatch. In Europe, the Fiesta, including the ST, lives on. U.S. sales: 270,127 Canadian sales: 60,126 FERRARI CALIFORNIA T (2014 TO 2018)
The California T, Ferrari’s “budget” model, was actually quite good, and some were even sold with a manual transmission. Although the California is going away, it’s being replaced by the much better looking Portofino, so we’re not too sad about this one. Ferrari does not specify its sales numbers by market. ALFA ROMEO 4C COUPE (2013 TO 2018)
The 4C was Alfa Romeo’s breakthrough re-entry into North America and it was a world-beater. The extremely light chassis made the 4C handle like it was on rails, despite having a relatively low-output turbo-four. The Spider version will live on, but the Coupe wasn’t selling well enough to continue. U.S. sales: 1,856 (Coupe and Spider) Canadian sales: 314 (Coupe and Spider) CADILLAC ATS SEDAN (2012 TO 2018)
The Cadillac ATS coupe will stick around while the sedan disappears. We’re OK with this, as the larger CTS is the better purchase for those looking to fit more people. The ATS coupe will most likely meet its demise at the end of 2019, where it’ll make room for the AT4, which itself will likely only be available as a sedan. Confused? We are too. U.S. sales: 146,740 (coupe and sedan) Canadian sales: 13,283 (coupe and sedan) CHEVROLET VOLT (2010 TO 2018)
Chevrolet’s excellent Volt was a breakthrough for the brand, offering fantastic range at a relatively low price and giving other EVs, such as the Nissan Leaf, a run for their money. The Volt meets its demise because of low sales and the push toward more CUVs. U.S. sales: 147,081 Canadian sales: 14,880 FORD FOCUS (2004 TO 2018)
The announcement that Ford will cut most of its sedan and small-car fleet initially came as a surprise, but as other companies follow suit it seems the writing is on the wall for anything that isn’t a crossover, sports car or truck, at least among U.S. automakers.
The hotted-up RS and ST versions will also be discontinued. U.S. sales: 2,619,750 Canadian sales: 318,691
LINCOLN MKT (2009 TO 2018)
The MKT is leaving us, but the new Aviator is filling the gap. The MKT is a large threerow SUV that was basically a re-skinned Ford Flex, and it never sold very well except to fleets. While unavailable for regular folk, the MKT will still be available for fleet sales. U.S. sales: 49,044
Canadian sales: 3,362
CHEVROLET CRUZE (2008 TO 2018)
Despite being a hit with enthusiasts and earning a Consumer Reports top pick, the Chevrolet Cruze sales still lagged behind the rival Toyota Corolla. Coupled with the closing of GM’s Oshawa plant, the Cruze was doomed to be axed. U.S. sales: 1,725,160 (sedan and hatchback) Canadian sales: 146,229 (sedan and hatchback)
BUICK LACROSSE (2004 TO 2018)
Buick was revitalized a few years ago, thanks to a bevy of new, small crossovers, but the success of those sales didn’t trickle down to the LaCrosse. The sedan has been restyled to match Buick’s new design language, but unfortunately that failed to translate into sales.
U.S. sales: 661,012 Canadian sales: 62,756 FORD TAURUS (2002 TO 2018)
We’re kind of sad to see the Ford Taurus go, as the SHO version was truly a sleeper. You may still see the Taurus in your rear-view mirror, though — usually with flashing lights on its roof, and possibly its siren wailing. U.S. sales: 1,045,127 (including police interceptor) Canadian sales: 85,738 (including police interceptor)
CHEVROLET IMPALA (1999 TO 2018)
For years, the Impala has been a Chevy mainstay as the go-to sedan and this isn’t the first time the famous nameplate has disappeared. But with the changes in the market toward SUVs and crossovers, this could be the final nail in the coffin for the Impala. U.S. sales: 3,613,656 Canadian sales: 152,091
NEW VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE (1997 TO 2018)
Everybody’s favourite people’s car is getting stepped on for 2019, as the vehicle has failed to regain the widespread popularity it once had. The Bug is rumoured to make a comeback, however, possibly as a pure EV with the motor in the rear.
U.S. sales: 755,315
Canadian sales: 26,073