The new year is looming on the horizon like a deadline, and everyone is scrambling to come up with far-fetched resolutions and tax return info. But we need to take a moment of silence for something far more important: cars. These eight vehicles will be discontinued this year. Weep, mourn, get a great deal.
Cars in general are disappearing at an alarming rate. SUVs just sell better, and the manufacturer trend toward consolidation means they’re slashing and burning everything with a roof you can see over. Even the Ford Mustang is being envisioned as a crossover with the Mach-E. But a few tallroofs are on the chopping block this year, too. Let’s take a look.
Buick Cascada
Notable for actually being an Opel when you thought Opel stopped selling cars here in the ‘70s, the Cascada was only offered in a convertible. This is extremely rare here in America, where most convertible-only offerings are sports cars. The Cascada is not. In fact, its closest local relative is the Chevy Cruze, both being based on the Opel Astra J platform. It was a bold move, but no one seemed to want an expensive, front-wheel-drive, automatic-only Cruze with a loud ceiling. Goodbye, Cascada. We’ll see you on the Obscure Cars for Sale Facebook page in ten years.
Toyota Prius C
Some are laying the death of the mini-Prius on lackluster hybrid sales amidst falling gas prices, but let’s not forget that it’s a car, and cars are out. Also, this was the least ugly of the Prius lineup, so it was an obvious choice for axing. Don’t worry, everyone. There’s only one Prius left, the Prius V, that doesn’t look like a low-rendered still frame from Transformers 2, and Toyota is sure to make that one just as alarming soon.
Ford Flex
Now we come to our first tragedy. The Flex was Ford’s cool, unique surfwagon idea, an angular standout in a sea of globulous crossovers. Spacious and practical, it was the go-to choice for parents who didn’t want the growing Soccer Utility Vehicle stigma. In 2010, Ford even gave it the F-150’s 355 hp twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, probably using the excuse of increased towing capacity or something. But you know dad was racing G-wagons in that beast. The Flex, not the “Mustang,” should’ve gotten Ford’s new electric crossover architecture, but alas, all is lost.
Fiat 500
Oh, how we wanted to love the Fiat 500. It was tiny, direct, and beautifully styled, reminiscent of the original postwar econobucket that got Italy back on her feet in the ‘50s. There was even a hot Abarth version, with 133 hp and the most glorious exhaust note a 1.4 liter engine has ever produced on the street. But Fiat just couldn’t shake the “Fix it again, Tony” stigma, which might have had something to do with the new 500’s constant reliability issues, interior rattles, and recalls. Also, it’s a car, which means it’s out.
Lincoln MKC
How would you eulogize the great Lincoln MKC? Nervously and sweating? Probably, because you’d struggle to remember anything about it. It just isn’t a vehicle to commit to memory. It’s a Ford Escape with a leather interior and a dashing mustache. What does MKC even stand for? McConaughey Kicks Clods? Thankfully, Lincoln is phasing out their alphabet names, replacing them with cool, memorable, aircraft-related names like Aviator. The MKC’s replacement? The Corsair, which was a WWII, carrier-based fighter-bomber nicknamed the “whistling death!” Nevermind that the Lincoln Corsair is still a leather-clad Ford Escape. The mustache is gone, though.
Jaguar XJ
The XJ has been Jaguar’s flagship luxury power-sedan since 1968. More than a half-century of sleek, stylish service. The British royal family even uses a fleet of armored XJs to get around. But, of course, it’s a car, so we’re losing it here in America. Jaguar’s F-Pace SUV is now dotting the parking lot at Neiman Marcus, and we can’t have the XJ messing up those sales numbers.
Infiniti QX30
But the QX30 is a crossover, so why is it walking the plank? It’s got lumps and creases and plenty of ride height just like any other crossover. This decision probably has less to do with the QX30 and more to do with the financial failings of Infiniti’s parent company, Nissan, whose sales figures were down 17% in the first 10 months of 2019. The QX30 was a taller version of the Q30, a world car based on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class platform. Which we never got. Probably because it’s a car.
Chevrolet Impala
It had to happen. With Ford’s discontinuation of the Taurus last year, only the Chevy Impala and the Dodge Charger remained among the Big Three’s full-sized sedan offerings. The Impala name has been around since 1958, though it took a couple of breaks in the ‘80s and ‘90s. This generation started strong in 2010 with 172,078 units sold, but by 2018, that figure had dwindled to just 56,556. The final Impala will roll off the line on February 28th, and GM’s Hamtramck and Oshawa factories will idle, probably until they come up with some more SUVs or something.
None of these are too surprising, especially the cars, but it still tugs the heartstrings to see names like Impala and XJ fade into history. They’re unlikely to return amidst the addiction to crossovers and SUVs. So, let's have a quick moment of silence, and pour out a quart of 5W-30 for some old friends.
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