Cars That Left the Market Last Year: Part 2

As a continuation, here are more vehicles that are no longer being produced after the 2016 model year. You can check out the first part of this list here.

Dodge Dart – Much like the Chrysler 200, the Dart is dated and is no longer going to be produced as FCA adds more models and investment into the Jeep and RAM lineups. This small and bargain basement car is one that could be a sales leader if another company agreed to help FCA build a small car the right way, but until that takes place, the Dart will no longer be offered.

Dodge Viper – This comes as a surprise because this is car that has already made a comeback from the time when it wasn’t being produced for over a decade. The Viper has been the most engaging supercar at the track for you to enjoy if you’re looking for a powerful car that has the performance you want. The Viper promised us excitement every time it was driven and it certainly delivered, but unfortunately it’s not going to be continued for the next model year. As an icon of what Dodge can produce this is a car that might make a second comeback in the near future, but not for 2017 at least.

Honda CR-Z – This car comes as no surprise at all. The CR-Z was an attempt at too many things in one package. It was expected to be a replacement for the CR-X and it was to by a hybrid car that had the driving prowess of a lightweight sports car, but it never had enough. With only 130 horsepower and 140 lb.-ft. of torque on a lightweight hybrid powertrain this was a car that found itself garnering looks of disdain more often than not. The CR-Z is a car that won’t be missed on the market at all.

Hyundai Genesis Coupe – This may be the end of the Genesis Coupe from Hyundai but it’s not the end of the Genesis name. This car has been so successful that it’s become its own luxury brand as a sub-brand of Hyundai. For the 2017 model year the Genesis sedan is being changed to the G80 while the Hyundai Equus is the new G90. The Genesis Coupe may not come back for a few years, but you can bet there will be an exciting new sport Coupe from Genesis in a few years.

Land Rover Defender – The Defender will no longer be built, which is a bit of a sad occurrence. This vehicle has been around for 68 years and has been a staple of impressive power and off road performance for a number of years, making it a vehicle that we’ve admired for years. While this long term massive box on wheels has been on the roads for many years and production ended in January, rumors are already swirling that we might have a new Defender model as early as 2018 to carry the torch forward and this new model might make it to the US, but nothing has been confirmed yet.

Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid – This vehicle was doomed from the time it made it on the market. The current hybrid model of the Crosstrek has only a three mpg advantage in the city over the standard model but it costs $4,800 more than the standard version. This certainly doesn’t make good sense and the low sales this version has endured will end with 2016 as it will not be brought back onto the market. Thankfully, the standard Crosstrek will continue as an excellent small SUV for us to drive and enjoy on the road.

Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid – This is another low sales volume model as the hybrid version of the Jetta makes up less than one percent of the total Jetta sales. With gasoline prices as low as they’ve ever been and still dropping there’s no room in the Volkswagen lineup for a vehicle that doesn’t perform well in regards to sales. The time and effort that would have been put into this Hybrid are better spent being involved in the EV models that will be part of the Volkswagen makeup on the market very soon rather than trying to make this car a viable option.

Scion – The entire Scion brand has been deleted from the market this year. Toyota has brought many of the models from Scion under the Toyota badging and has offered them as variants on already enjoyable models. This was a move that we expected considering the low sales volume and lack of need for this to be a separate brand going forward.