Sometimes cars just need to go away, and for different reasons, such as they are bad cars that gave a lot of trouble. Normally, however, cars go away because they quit selling, or it takes more in incentive money to move them than the automaker earns in profit. At other times, it is because of automaker stupidity.
If you are a longtime Car Pro Show listener, you know I had harsh words for Ford’s CEO when he made the decision to kill off the Fusion and Taurus, two very good cars that people wanted. More recently, I ripped the General Motors CEO for killing the Chevy Malibu. If you missed that, you can catch up here:
Car Pro Commentary: BIG MISTAKE GM-Rest In Peace Chevy Malibu! →
As we say hello to 2025, we say goodbye to almost three dozen cars, trucks, and surprisingly SUVs that have ceased production or will soon. That does not mean you won’t find these cars on dealer lots still, and they are often some of the best buys on the market, due to incentives. The dealers and the automakers want them gone.
Two questions I am asked a lot
Listeners often ask me about buying a vehicle we know is going away and if it is a bad idea. It is actually a dual answer. If you keep cars for a long time, there is nothing to fear buying a discontinued vehicle, 8-10 years from now it won’t matter value-wise if the car was killed. However, if you like to trade often, say every few years, then I would avoid them due to resale value. No worries on parts, manufacturers must make parts available for 10 years after a vehicle is discontinued.
The other question I get often: What happens to vehicles that do not sell? The answer is they all do. Eventually. Dealerships cannot send cars back to the factory, they must sell them. Incentives from the automakers certainly help, but usually the dealership continues to reduce the price until someone bites. These are often the vehicles you will find on the showroom floor, and the sales staff is often heavily incentivized, which is why you may go in looking for a big pickup, and your salesperson says: “Let me show you this beautiful station wagon!”
Here are the vehicles we know are going, are gone, or soon will be (in alphabetical order and with some commentary):
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (should be killed for the name alone)
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (see above)
- Audi A5 coupe & Cabrio (very sad for me, great cars)
- BMW X3 M (not officially killed yet, but it is coming, bet on it)
- Bugatti Chiron (the 300-MPH supercar is being replaced)
- Chevy Camaro (again? You have to figure it will be back again someday)
- Chevy Malibu (grrrrr. Grab one if you can find one!)
- Ferrari 812 GTS (great car, Ferrari changes models often)
- Ferrari Roma Coupe (there are still some convertibles left)
- Ferrari SF 90 (F80 takes its place)
- Fisker Ocean (electric vehicle casualty when the company filed bankruptcy)
- Infiniti Q50 (non-seller, but a really good sedan)
- Jaguar E-Pace SUV (Jag is going all-electric-big mistake)
- Jaguar F-Pace SUV (see above)
- Jaguar F-Type coupe (see above, but also never a good seller)
- Jaguar I-Pace (same as above, never sold well)
- Jaguar XE (you’re killing me Jaguar)
- Jaguar XF (gone but not forgotten)
- Jeep Gladiator manual transmission (lazy Americans never bought these)
- Lamborghini Huracan (Lambo sold 10,000 of these last year, why kill it?)
- Maserati Ghibli (making way for electrics, but a dumb name)
- Maserati Levante SUV (truly sad, a great SUV)
- Maserati Quattroporte (I leased a new one in 2017-wonderful car, horrible resale)
- Mitsubishi Mirage (should have died years ago)
- Mini Cooper Clubman (the cute station wagon goes where all wagons eventually go)
- Nissan GT-R (c’mon Nissan, why? It has been around since 2009 and is a beast)
- Nissan Titan pickup (you tried-you failed. There are some bargains in these folks)
- Ram 1500 Classic (it lived for 5 years after the all-new Ram came out. Impressive!)
- Ram TRX (one of my favorite review trucks, but no worries, the RHO fills the gap)
- Toyota Supra 4-Cylinder (the six-banger lives on)
- Toyota Venza (another favorite due to price and the hybrid, but Crown Signia is awesome)
Reminder: 2024 models that are goners:
- Alpina BMW B7
- Audi R8
- Audi TT
- Chevrolet Bolt EV
- Chevrolet Bolt EUV
- Chevrolet Camaro Turbo
- Chrysler 300
- Dodge Challenger
- Dodge Charger
- Dodge Hellcat Models
- Ferrari F8 Tributo
- Ferrari Portofino M
- Ford Edge
- Ford Explorer Hybrid
- Kia Stinger
- Kia Rio
- Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring
- Mazda CX-9
- Mazda MX-30
- McLaren 720S
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe
- Mercedes-Benz CLS
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe
- Mercedes-Benz Metris
- Nissan Maxima
- Porsche Panamera Sport Turbo
Photo: Stellantis.
