Do you ever wonder why car companies come out with so many different car models every year? We all know that styling fads come and go, technology is developing the newer and faster gadgets as we speak, and the buyers needs are constantly changing. These are the reasons why the automotive world is constantly evolving to meet your needs. When automakers become complacent and too comfortable, living off of the past successes of the company; they eventually learn what the now extinct Saturn learned from all of sales trends: evolve, change, or die. This constant changing in needs and wants is why we see so many different cars coming and going every single year. As new models are released, consumers can see dozens of old cars disappear and be replaced by a dozen all new cars. Understandably, this can get rather confusing. I like most people think that releasing a new car model every year is a wastes of time and money. To help you get a general idea of the cars that will be bidding us farewell in 2015, InsiderCarNews.com has put together a list of the 10 most notable cars that you will notice won’t be around after this year. Some of the cars on my list below are leaving to simplify and streamline confusing lineups, helping to maximize profits. Let’s face it people, you have had too many options available to you in the past, we are not at Burger King, you cannot have the car ‘your way’. You want it your way, call the manufacturing plant and have one special ordered to fit your special needs. Others on this list are going goodbye because they just don’t make great business sense anymore. 10 cars that are being discontinued after 2015.
1. Chevy SS – On paper the Chevy SS was a hit. It has 4 doors, 415 horsepower engine, and requires little engineering work because it was simply a rebadged Holden Commodore imported from Australia. Unfortunately, as of October 2014, only 2,166 units have found garages to call a full time home. On top of slow sales, GM has decided to now cease Holden operation in Australia starting in 2017. Which mean the SS must die too or GM needs to find a way to produce the SS in another company asap. That doesn’t seem to be a realistic option for the company at this time and the 2015 model year will be the last for the SS.
2. Dodge Grand Caravan – From the very beginning of mini vans burst of popularity, Chrysler’s minivan lineup was a little odd and rather confusing. There were 3 nearly identical vans sold under 3 different names: Dodge Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country, and the Plymouth Voyager. When Plymouth closed down, things became slightly clearer, but we were still left with 2 identical minvans (and as someone who will NEVER own a minivan, my opinion is that is just 1 too many.) Now with Fiat running the show, there are some serious shakeups about to begin within all of Chrysler’s brands. One such shakeup is the elimination of the Dodge Grand Caravan, leaving the Town & Country as Chrysler’s 1 ad only minivan offering. Fiat is an odd company begin with and don’t seem to be mainstream minivan drivers, so don’t be surprised to see the Grand Caravan return in some mutated form in the future, but for now it’s so long.
3. Acura TL – The TL has been a long forgotten model in Acura’s lineup for quite some time, as have pretty much all of Acura’s sedans. And the TL hasn’t stacked up well against others in its class in recent years either. For 2015, Acura made the TL’s demise official with the release of the all new TLX. Where the TL lacked the features required to make it a truly premium car, the TLX now has all of those luxurious features and the upgraded drivetrain options to better compete with the popular Germany manufacturers.
4. Cadillac CTS-V Wagon & CTS-V Sport Wagon – The Cadillac CTS received an amazing redesign for the 2014 model year and became a car that could actually compete with the popular, more premium German brands. Sadly, the CTS-V Wagon did not debut grandly, although the 420 horsepower sports model was pretty cool. But because of the growing lack of interest in the wagon models of vehicles, there is no CTS-V Wagon in the cards for the new-generation models. Fortunately, Cadillac decided to offer the old body-style CTS-V Wagon for one more model year late in 2014, but this appears to be the end of the line for the fast reinvented American station wagon.
5. Toyota FJ Cruiser – The Jeep Wrangler has rarely had a competitor to worry about in recent history. The Geo Tracker of the 1990’s was too soft and the current Nissan Xttera doesn’t quite have the off-road appeal and awesomeness of the legendary Jeep. However, that all changed when Toyota released its FJ Cruiser, with its off-road-ready suspension and beefy tires in 2007. The FJ gave the Wrangler all that it had, but Toyota promised its all-terrain rig would be only a one generation model and it is making good on this promise as we head forward in 2015. Although FJ production has already ceased, there should be some new stock left over for this year.
6. Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet – The Nissan Murano was never a particularly good-looking crossover, but it got the job done as a well-equipped and sporty model that was relatively affordable and had decent cargo room. The Murano CrossCabriolet is another story altogether. Never once has anyone said “Gee, I would love a high riding crossover with no cargo room and with a retractable roof”. In the past, Nissan was known as a company that has not been afraid to take a chance on a new looking concept, but the CrossCabriolet is a design that should have been scrapped from the beginning. Fortunately for us, the 2015 Murano features an all new body style, and there no CrossCabriolet versions anywhere in sight. Hopefully, any left over CrossCabriolets should be off the dealer lots and long forgotten by early 2015.
7. Jaguar XK – The Jaguar XK was in the same position as the F-Type back in 1997. It was Jaguars newest sports car and it helped give the struggling brand some life and legitimacy during its harder years. Fast forward to the end of 2014 and the F-Type is now sleek and sexy and we have almost forgotten about the poor performing XK. With the renewed success of the F-Type, Jaguar has realized that the XK has no place in their lineup and will eliminate it following the 2015 model year. Rumors out of the company point towards an eventual replacement that will ride on a stretched F-type chassis, but these are unconfirmed to date.
8. Nissan Cube – As stated earlier, Nissan isn’t afraid to take risks. Sometimes it achieves unprecedented popularity and other times it bombs, failing miserably with sales. Sure, The Cube has its niche group, but it is a very small one and that is made evidently clear by the 200 a month units that move off the car lots. Surprising that it has taken six model years to finally put this cardboard box on wheels out of its misery.
9. Honda Fit EV – Originally designed as a “compliance car” of sorts, the Fit EV was sold to obey the stricter emission laws passed in a handful of states. Technically, the Fit EV was never even ‘sold’ to anyone. Since its debut, Honda has offered this model strictly on a lease basis for a rather low price. This all comes to an end after the 2015 model year, as Honda will cease production of the Fit EV and crunch data to see if building ones on a grander scale make good business sense in the future.
10. Dodge Durango – Every car that I have listed previous to this one had a really good reason for getting the axe. Some of the cars are being cut to simplify lineups, some are poor sellers, and some are built just to satisfy regulations. The Durango, on the other hand, fits none of the mentioned reasons. It only recently received a redesign, its sales are consistent, and the Dodge’s lineup isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with SUVs. Regardless of the lack of reasoning, 2015 will be the Dodge Durango’s final hoorah. There are rumors that the Durango could simply shift brands and become a new, 3 row SUV in Jeep’s lineup, but that has yet to be confirmed.
Knowing which vehicles are soon going away or simply being replaced in a manufacturer’s lineup presents an opportunity for consumers. For vehicles that are canceled entirely thanks to a brand’s demise (e.g. in the past – Pontiac), knowing that dealers must rid their lots of these discontinued models can give consumers a bargaining advantage. For models such as Honda’s S2000 or Toyota’s FJ Cruiser, which have simply reached the end of their production cycle and are not being replaced, those who have always had an affinity for a particular model might want to avail themselves of the last opportunity to purchase the vehicle new. For others, knowing that a discontinued vehicle is in its last year of production, soon to be replaced with an all-new or updated version, is reason enough to avoid such a purchase.
I personally love the fox body style of the Ford Mustangs and miss that style. Thinking back, are there any models that were discontinued that you really miss?
Thank you for reading my posts! I master mind with like minded people. If you would like to connect, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook.
11:01 pm on February 4th, 2015
Very cool! I’ll take the Chevy SS!
11:18 pm on February 5th, 2015
I was pretty surprised to see the SS and the Durango on the list. Have a great day!