Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Rust in peace: These 14 auto models are going away

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    8,598
    Blog Entries
    2

    Rust in peace: These 14 auto models are going away

    Rust in peace: These 14 auto models are going away
    By Greg LaRose | Posted on December 26, 2018 3:45 PM | Updated December 26, 2018 3:45 PM
    http://www.nola.com/expo/news/erry-2...4-auto-mo.html
    Matt Crafts, of Palmer, Mass., sits behind the wheel of his 1969 Volkswagen Beetle at the Cruisin' for the Kids Car Show on June 15, 1968, benefitting Baystate Children's Hospital in Springfield, Mass. (Steven E. Nanton photo)
    The weak pulse of the American-made family sedan is growing even fainter, as automakers choose to do away with more models that remind buyers too much of your grandfather's Oldsmobile.

    With SUVs providing the same passenger capacity and often more amenities, consumers have all but abandoned four-door vehicles reminiscent of undercover police cars. Yet a hybrid auto and an electric car were also on this year's production line obituary list

    The following makes are driving off into the sunset in 2019:


    Photo by Dan Gleiter, PennLive.com
    CADILLAC ATS
    Production started: 2012

    General Motors created the Cadillac ATS in attempt to woo drivers who wanted a bigger car in the price range of a midsize European sedan; think BMW 3 series or Mercedes-Benz C-class. More than 38,000 were sold in 2013, its first full year in production, and it was even more popularly globally, according to GM. But its domestic sales numbers dropped down to about 13,000 last year.


    CADILLAC CT6
    Production started: January 2016

    With other luxury car makers downsizing, Cadillac went against the flow a couple years ago and unveiled a larger model. The 4,400-pound CT6 also featured rear-wheel drive, the first Caddy sedan to do so since the Fleetwood in 1996. An even bigger model, the CT8, was planned until the company chose to focus on its SUVs instead.


    Photo by Mike Appleton for Cadillac
    CADILLAC XTS
    Production started: May 2012

    This Canadian-made Cadillac was built on the same frame as the Chevrolet Impala, whose fate you'll soon learn. It's also the same platform for the Buick LaCrosse, which will end production in March 2019.


    In this Sept. 8, 2010, photo, General Motors workers cheer as the first Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan off the assembly line, at the GM factory in Lordstown, Ohio. (Photo by Amy Sancetta, AP)
    CHEVROLET CRUZE
    Production started: 2008

    General Motors teamed with Suzuki on an earlier version of the Cruze that was only available in Japan starting in 2001. Manufacturing was moved stateside seven years later, and the compact sedan was the first major release for GM after its Chapter 11 reorganization.

    Early models of the Cruze were flawed. Consumer Reports rated the model the worst compact sedan in terms of reliability in its first year of U.S. production. Four separate recalls between 2011 and 2014 were issued for the Cruze, with problems ranging from engine fire risk to faulty brakes.


    Charles Allen drives his 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport under the Grand Blanc welcome sign on Saginaw Street on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018, at the second Back to the Bricks rolling cruise. (Photo by Kaiti Sullivan, MLive.com)
    CHEVROLET IMPALA
    Production years: 1957-85; 1994-96; 1999-2019

    Throughout its three different production eras, the Chevy Impala has consistently been a big sedan. Its popularity, in part, has come from its use as a fleet vehicle.

    In each of its iterations, the Impala has been a fixture among police departments and government agencies. Yet those agencies, like most consumers, have gravitated to SUVs.


    CHEVROLET VOLT
    Production started: December 2010

    Chevrolet held firm in its resistance to calling the plug-in Volt a hybrid vehicle. Technically, it is a one because it depends on two power sources: batteries and a gasoline-powered engine. Chevy preferred to called the Volt an electric vehicle with a "range-extending" gas engine.

    What doomed the Volt as other hybrids enjoyed growing popularity? Answer: Timing and price.

    It rolled onto the market as General Motors was emerging from insolvency and consumers were still reeling from a recent recession. Priced for about $10,000 more than the class-leading Toyota Prius, the Volt has struggled to reach 150,000 units sold since its inception.


    The 2014 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in at the 2014 Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids on Feb. 6, 2014. (Photo by Andrew Kuhn, MLive.com)
    FORD C-MAX
    Production started: 2003

    It's sort of funny when you learn a guy who measures 6-foot-5 is nicknamed "Tiny." Perhaps that's what Ford was thinking when it developed the C-Max, a compact offshoot of its Focus that made its U.S. debut in 2012 as a hybrid vehicle.

    A major chapter in its downfall came when Consumer Reports found that fuel efficiency figures for the C-Max were actually about 10 miles per gallon lower than Ford claimed. Testing from the Environmental Protection Agency backed that reporting, and the automaker eventually issued $550 refunds to buyers.


    The 2018 Ford Focus. (Photo by Kevin Necessary, Ford Motor Co.
    FORD FOCUS
    Production started: July 1998

    The final Focus came off the assembly line in March. Twenty years ago, the model represented Ford's move into the global compact market, as much of its previous downsizing efforts were limited to the U.S.

    Ford had said in 2017 that it planned to limit Focus production to China, but it later eliminated the model to place greater emphasis on its more popular SUVs and trucks.




    Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
    FORD TAURUS
    Production started: 1985

    This zodiac-inspired model enjoyed bullish sales and strong reviews throughout most of its run. The Taurus ranks fifth among the company's best-selling models, behind the F-150 truck, Escort, Model T and Mustang.

    It's the latest victim of consumer tastes steering toward foreign sedans and SUVs, which Ford itself has made a higher priority in its auto lineup.




    Photo courtesy of Honda
    HONDA CR-Z
    Production started: 2010

    The hybrid Honda CR-Z floundered even though it entered the market priced lower than the Toyota Prius. Its fate might best be explained in two words: enough already.

    Honda had a stable of very popular vehicles, and those fans were more interested in the hybrid versions of existing models, such as the Accord, than a smaller, new one. The company has said it will concentrate on the hybrid Accord and the Clarity, which also has a hydrogen fuel cell model.


    Photo courtesy of Hyundai
    HYUNDAI AZERA
    Production started: 1986

    Hyundai has brought forward models in every vehicle class to challenge America, Japanese and European automakers in the U.S. market. But just like its domestic competitors, it has decided to pull its largest sedan off the market.

    The Azera name has only been in the U.S. for about a decade. The model was initially known as the Hyundai Grandeur, a nod to the company's original plans to enter the luxury market.


    Torry Kurski of Eagan, Minn., takes a Nissan Juke around the track at the Carlisle Performance & Style Car Show on May 12, 2012. (Photo by John C. Whitehead, The Patriot-News)
    NISSAN JUKE
    Production started: June 2010

    Nissan has pulled the subcompact crossover in favor of its newer model, the Kicks. Since peaking in 2014 with sales exceeding 38,000 vehicles, the Juke has ebbed significant in popularity amid increasing competition in the class.




    The 2014 Toyota Prius V at the 2014 Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Feb. 6, 2014.(Photo by Andrew Kuhn, MLive.com)
    TOYOTA PRIUS V
    Production started: June 2011

    Toyota decided it would offer a larger, four-door version of its popular hybrid vehicle, but consumers failed to greet it as enthusiastically as the original version. The 2017 model was its last in the U.S. market.


    A 2018 Volkswagen Beetle on display at the Pennsylvania Auto Show on Jan. 26, 2018, in Harrisburg, Penn. (Photo by Dan Gleiter, PennLive.com)
    VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE
    Production started: 2011

    The Volkswagen Beetle has been in existence since its 1938 birth in Germany. The third version, known as the A5, has only been around seven years.

    What you know as your großvater's Käfer (grandfather's Beetle) ended its production run in 2003, when the final one rolled of the assembly line of its Mexico plant. The "New Beetle" came out in 1997 and underwent a significant overhaul in 2011, when it was dubbed the A5.

    The biggest claim to fame for the A5 was that it was the car Oprah Winfrey gave away to members of her audience during a 2010 broadcast; the vehicle didn't actually come off the assembly line until the following year.

    The A5 will end its production run in July 2019, Volkswagen announced in September. The company will also end U.S. sales of its Touareg, concentrating instead on the larger Atlas SUV the Tiguan crossover.
    1/4 Mile Time 11.542 @ 121.19 MPH
    195,000 Miles & 275+ Runs Down the 1,320’
    541.57 RWHP & 476.64 RWTQ on DynoJet
    Tuned by Aric at Injected Engineering
    Vortech Super Charger V-2 “T” Trim, 19 PSI
    8 Rib Belt, Innovators West 10% Overdrive Dampner
    Air to Air Intercooler, Mini-race Bypass
    Ford Cobra Remanufactured Long Block
    Snow Performance Water-Methanol Injection
    Kooks Headers & X Pipe
    GT MAF, 60lb injectors, Dash 8, Aero Rails, Twin Ford GT Pumps,
    Kinsler Fuel Filter, Kenne Bell Boost-A-Pump
    Monroe Sensatrac, Metco Control Arms, Addco Rear Sway Bar
    31 Ford Spline Axles & Detroit Truetrac, 4:10 Ford Racing Gears
    Dynotech MMC Driveshaft
    A-1 Performance Trans, Forced Tailshaft Lube, Carbon Clutches
    3,500 RPM Stall Precision Industries Torque Converter
    B&M Deep Finned Trans Pan
    AeroForce Scan Gauges , Auto Meter Oil, Fuel & Boost Gauges
    Kenny Brown Dead Pedal, 35% Tint, Silver Star Head Lights
    AutoPage Alarm RS-727LCD, Boston Acoustic NX87

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Southwest Florida, Lee County
    Age
    54
    Posts
    3,423
    I work in, uh.... um. Repossession. I can tell you why much of that list exists. Gm cars have hit the wall and fallen off a cliff. A majority of their cars are total garbage when they're recovered with less than 40K miles. Verano, Traverse, Cruze, Enclave, ATS, CTS, Full size SUV's. No reason for engine failures, cracking dashes, door handles falling off. VW vehicles are hopeless. The Focus and Fiesta have transmissions carved from butter. Occasionally a turd hits production but GM has become a septic tank.
    '04 Silver Marauder w/ sunroof - HID lighting, JL Audio / Eclipse DVD/NAV/iPod/camera, 4.10's, 2" drop, Progard Bumper Baffle, Delete tips, Billet Pedals, BC4E dead pedal, Lidio Tune, Mach1 chin spoiler, K&N CAI, TCE lines, Super40's, tinted tails, SS Inserts, Heinous Control Arms, Real oil gauge, lighted door handles. Currently installing Eaton M112.

    2004 Mercury Marauder
    Born March 2004, adopted October 2005. Sold January 2012, adopted AGAIN January 2016
    2,187 of 3,214
    997 in Silver Birch
    448 with light flint interior
    304 with heated seats
    336 with sunroof

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Oxford, PA
    Posts
    459
    (11.5 Bil -maybe we shouldn't have bailed them out)...Speaking as an F-Body owner....are they making money other than these unpopular models? How are the Silverados? I thought they were a good truck. How about the Vette and Camaro these days?

    I would rather bail out GM than some of the overseas expenditures we throw money at...not to get too political here...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Moreau Island
    Posts
    12,207
    Joke how they call some of the above "BIG" cars. Can't think of a truly "BIG" car sold by a US manufacturer since the early 1970's and even those cars were getting smaller. Americans are tall and fat yet manufacturers build cars for tiny short Europeans and Asians. We've been forced into SUV's and trucks by necessity to fit not a desire to not buy a 4 door.
    I don't consider the Marauder a big car. Just ask any member over 6" tall how many times they've bonked their head on the roof/door rail getting in For the 2000's it's big, but for those of us who remember it's perhaps intermediate sized compared to cars of old. I'm talking about roominess not outward dimensions. A 20' car is a 20' car, but sit in a 20' Marauder then sit in a 20' Checker, no comparison.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Psych ward
    Age
    53
    Posts
    1,081
    funny GM has a lot on this list.........
    • 82 GT coyote swap started
    • 03 300a Marauder, stroked,cammed,T/S Trilogy Supercharged # 216,Best Et 10.77@129.72 on slicks, 93 pump gas. driven to the track.
    • 2011 GT 500, 3.4 whipple,93 pump gas,10.47@133,Driven to the track.
    • 2003 azura blue Mach 1, cobra motor,2.9 Whipple,crusher inlet,built 4r70w trans,04 IRS rear.full weight street car, Corn Fed

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Baltimore, Md.
    Age
    64
    Posts
    11,665
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr. Man View Post
    Joke how they call some of the above "BIG" cars. Can't think of a truly "BIG" car sold by a US manufacturer since the early 1970's and even those cars were getting smaller. Americans are tall and fat yet manufacturers build cars for tiny short Europeans and Asians. We've been forced into SUV's and trucks by necessity to fit not a desire to not buy a 4 door.
    I don't consider the Marauder a big car. Just ask any member over 6" tall how many times they've bonked their head on the roof/door rail getting in For the 2000's it's big, but for those of us who remember it's perhaps intermediate sized compared to cars of old. I'm talking about roominess not outward dimensions. A 20' car is a 20' car, but sit in a 20' Marauder then sit in a 20' Checker, no comparison.

    Yep... just watched a Buick commercial where the actor walks over next to the new Buick SUV/Crossover and it looks like a bright red Christmas toy!
    Puny little turd....errrr.....I mean the vehicle.

    BTW: I always liked the Cadillac ATS....the only Cadillac that wasn't overly styled/too angular looking.
    2020 Ford Ranger STX DFI Turbo 2.3L 10 speed Auto
    2017 Ford Fusion Sport DFI Twin Turbo 2.7L V6 6 speed Auto (14.000 ET bone stock in 82 degree heat)
    1985 Mustang GT 5.0 Hatchback 4bbl 5 speed manual (525 HP 363 Dart block/AFR heads with Magnum 6 speed in the works)
    1984 Mustang GT 2.3 Turbo Convertible FI. 5 speed manual
    1966 427 Cobra (ERA) 468 all Aluminum FE 2x4bbl 5 speed manual

    SOLD : 2003 Mercury Marauder FI. 4 speed Auto
    w/Crower Cams & Springs, +1mm SS valves, mild port job on the cylinder heads.
    Extrude honed intake w/PHP spacer.
    Kooks Headers w/2.5" High Flow Cats & X-Pipe, Magnaflow mufflers, OEM tailpipes w/Megs Tips
    B&M Trans cooler w/fan, Level 10 Shift Kit, Art Carr Hughes Deep Sump Trans Pan,
    SVO Rearend Girdle, Redline Gear lube; OEM 3.55s
    'Real Gauges' + matching Trans Temp, Oil Temp, Water Temp, Fuel Pressure, Vacuum/Boost Gauge
    Built: 10/15/02 Bought: 12/16/02 Sold: 10/15/18

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Timbuk3, MI
    Posts
    2,441

    Talking

    Mr. Man ... then sit in a 20' Checker, no comparison.

    .

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Baaad GN - Rest in Peace
    By Baaad GN in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 66
    Last Post: 08-10-2014, 08:22 AM
  2. This is what peace-of-mind looks like!
    By Chad1987 in forum Community Discussion
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 11-27-2012, 07:26 AM
  3. Rest In Peace
    By GAMike in forum Southern Marauders
    Replies: 23
    Last Post: 06-24-2010, 10:14 AM
  4. Inner Peace
    By Mike Poore in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 02-01-2008, 01:17 PM
  5. In the name of Peace and goodwill....
    By O's Fan Rich in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 04-21-2004, 10:19 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •