Cars That Left the Market Last Year: Part 1

Every year the automotive industry has a batch of vehicles that are no longer offered, but most are replaced with new models. For 2016 we said goodbye to some of our old favorites, some of which will be a surprise to you. In many cases these cars have been replaced with something new, but in some instances, the sales didn’t warrant keeping these vehicles on the market any longer. Let’s take a look at those models which will no longer be offered on the market that we love to discuss. You can check out the second part of this list here.

Audi R8 e-tron – While the idea was sound in concept the expectation was more than this car could bear. The fact that you have a supercar that looks this amazing and doesn’t sound like much at all is certainly a turn off, but the real challenge may have been that huge price gap between this electric model and the one that has a powerful engine under the hood. When you want a supercar, you want it to sound amazing and for the world to be able to hear you. Evan at $1.1 million this car couldn’t make enough friends that understood it to keep on being produced.

BMW Z4 – This car has been the sinuous roadster that has been a huge favorite from BMW for a few years. It’s time for the production of this car to come to an end as BMW partners with Toyota for the next model in the lineup, the Z5. This gorgeous sports car has certainly been a gem on the road, but it will be interesting to see what the next model will feel like as it benefits from the most admired features of both Toyota and BMW to become a car that has the drive we will lineup to enjoy.

Buick Verano – For the US market the Verano has fallen down the sales list to become a burden on Buick. As this brand shifts its focus to the SUV market and brings us more SUVs and even larger and more exciting sedans the Verano is being left behind. This nameplate will continue to be sold in Europe and in other areas of the world, but the US production has come to an end and this car will no longer be part of what you can buy from Buick when you’re looking for a small premium sedan.

Cadillac ELR – The ELR was never made to be a car that had huge sales, but it still hasn’t found its way to the volume that Cadillac was looking for. Even after a price reduction over the past couple years this car is overlooked more often than it should be because it’s built on the same platform as the Chevrolet Volt. This is a car that does have the looks you’d love, but it hasn’t been on the market longer than anyone expected it to be as Cadillac continued to look for ways to make this a success and has finally decided to drop it from the lineup.

Chrysler 200 – We’ve known this was going to be deleted from the lineup for a while now. The 200 is a small sedan that is as attractive as you’ll find anywhere while being filled with exquisite materials and the feel that makes it a substantial car to drive. Even though it’s a car which is what you might want to enjoy, the 200 has never been able to stand up to the most popular models in the class. FCA is putting its investment into the Jeep and Ram names and has seriously reduced the Chrysler lineup.

Chrysler Town & Country – The minivan you’ve loved since the 1980s is finally being taken off the market in favor of a new model. The Town & Country name may resurface in another way at a later date, it’s been a car in the past, but the new Pacifica minivan will be the replacement. What’s interesting is the naming because even the Pacifica has been used in the market in the past when it was used as an SUV. This new replacement is one of the most connected vehicles we’ve ever seen in the minivan category.