Cars that Couldn’t Cut It
It seems amazing that a car would not get the opportunity to at least live out its full first generation. After all, every car has to go through the planning, research, concept and other phases before they ever make it to production. Once a car does make it to production it may take some time to actually gain the momentum it takes to actually become a sales force on the market. Unfortunately these cars were all taken through the entire process but actually never made the past the first couple hears of production for one reason or another. With that said, here are several cars that hit the chopping block after one one or two model years.
The Borrego was unfortunately subjected to really poor timing. This was an SUV that when introduced did a great job of what it was called upon to do which was be a body on frame SUV that easily handled the terrain and hauled people and cargo. The time was poor as the movement toward crossover SUVs was taking place leaving no place for a gas-guzzling large SUV that had a bumpy ride, the automotive industry already had plenty of those and because of this the Borrego only lasted one model year.
The Hummer H1 Alpha was king of the hill and certainly was built to topple a mountain without needing to catch its breath. Powered by a strong 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 this beast was simply awesome to look at and drive as long as you didn’t mind taking on every environmentalist in the world. The price of over $130,000 and the size made it a one-year wonder even though the smaller siblings were able to stick around for several more years before the brand finally disappeared.
This SUV might have been ahead of its time and may even be a great ide a for a comeback vehicle. Around for only two model years the X6 was a fastback designed crossover SUV that appeared to be a muscle car that had been lifted for ground clearance and had a luxury badge slapped on the front. The ActiveHybrid X6 was powered by a 4.4-liter V8 and two electric motors that brought in a total of 480 horsepower. At the time the term hybrid was only used to describe vehicles that gave better fuel mileage which this certainly did not, limiting it to the very short production time.
Powered by a turbocharged 170 horsepower four-cylinder engine the Mazdaspeed Protégé was a nimble and agile little car that gave an exciting ride. As the successor to the MP3 this brought in more power and seemed to be ready to be the next great car from Mazda, but once again timing was the enemy of this car. The Mazdaspeed Protégé was only around for one year because it was quickly replaced by the first generation of the Mazda 3 making this another one of the one-year wonders that really deserved to be around for a much longer run.
Who would have ever thought a truck could be ahead of its time, but the Blackwood certainly was just that. This was a luxury pickup truck that came with cooled leather seats, luscious carpeting and all the luxury appointments that you could want in a truck that was built to be the top of the truck line as far as equipment and features. Unfortunately there was no four-wheel drive model, otherwise this truck might have pioneered the luxury trucks we see on the road today as the top models in their lineups. Unfortunately, the Blackwood only made it through one model year although it would certainly be able to find a home in the truck market of today.
Somehow this Chinese car made its way to two model years, which is actually a real surprise. This car company adopted the name Coda to show the end of the gasoline car and offered this sedan as an electric car that had a reasonable electric range, but nothing else. the car was expensive, ugly, hard to drive and only received two stars in the crash tests. Only about 100 of these were ever sold, which might come as a surprisingly high number for this aberration.
The Chrysler Aspen was to be the Chrysler answer for the Suburban but unfortunately only made it through three model years. The Hybrid model actually only made it across one calendar year and did show up with improved fuel mileage but that number was only at 21 mpg. At this low number the Aspen Hybrid could not compete with a market that was being drenched in fuel efficient crossover SUVs that appealed more the buyers that this large and cumbersome vehicle that no one really knew much about.
The Virage was one amazing car and came with a name we have all come to know as synonymous with elegance, luxury and quality. This beautiful car that was powered by a 5.9-liter V12 engine offered a great drive, came in both coupe and convertible versions and was certainly built to impress and came in slotted between the DBS and DB9. Unfortunately that slot became more of a slit as it would quickly be bypassed for the other models which had gained much more popularity than the Virage as this car turned into a mirage after only two model years.
This was the first minivan from Hyundai and made its way through two model years before receiving the sharp blade of the axe. Unfortunately the Entourage looked and drove like a rebadged Sedona, which we were already comfortable with from Kia. The 3.8-liter V6 showed a nice 242 horsepower initially and 250 in the second year, but the idea of having two minivans from Hyundai was not to be even though it had worked for Chrysler for so many years. The Sedona got the nod to stay because of the unfortunately sluggish sales from the Entourage.
Chrysler did all it could to hang onto Plymouth products while simply rebadging them under the Chrysler name but most of them have gone the way of the dinosaur over the years. The Chrysler Grand Voyager was the continuation of the Plymouth Grand Voyager and with three minivans under one roof, something had to give. That being said, the Grand Voyager was deleted after only one year of carrying the Chrysler name on the front. This was essentially the same minivan as the Grand Caravan anyway, which would certainly save costs by not continuing to market it with different nameplates.
As a more recent player in the one-year wonder segment the Plug-In Accord was not to be continued for the current model year. Reasons for this deletion are numerous starting with the fact this car could only go 13 miles on all-electric power which certainly does not warrant the huge increase in price over the other models. The Accord has been a strong seller for many years, but the $40,000 price tag to have the ability to basically go around the block was not to be enough to entice any real sales volume so off it goes until an new one is offered in 2018.
As of now there is no such thing as Pontiac anyway, but the G3 was one of the worst ever cars from the brand that stood for quality and sophistication under the GM roof. This car was a stripped down and cheap-looking car that should have been scrapped before it got started but somehow it made its way to production for one year and thankfully was only a one-year nightmare that eventually started the process of the complete decimation of the Pontiac brand.
Amazingly there is a Rolls on this list and the Park Ward was only around for two model years. This is a vehicle that looked like it could take over the executive limousine segment and offered plenty of room for five passengers to comfortably do business in the rear of the car while the driver found their way to the destination. Unfortunately at the time it and the Silver Seraph did not represent the direction Rolls-Royce wanted to go and it was nixed as quickly as it was conceived.
When the Opel Astra was rebadged with Saturn emblems GM did not do much to hide the fact that this was a European hatchback. Unfortunately this style was not right for the time it came and the Astra under the Saturn name only lasted one year. This car would actually be a great hatchback today with its 1.8-liter 138 horsepower four-cylinder engine although the four-speed automatic would have to be increased to a five or six to be right for the market now. Unfortunately, like the Astra, Saturn has gone away and we won’t get to ever see if this car would have been right for today’s market or not.
Fisker is actually the largest and most direct rival Tesla has. The Fisker cars have had an already unfortunate history of fires, recalls ,breakdowns and eve the bankruptcy of their battery supplier, all that has caused the production to be slow and progress to nearly halt at Fisker. The Karma was a sports sedan that gave us a car that looked like a super car but has seating for four on the inside. Unfortunately the Karma only lasted one year, but the new owner, Wanxiang Group has promised to bring back the Karma sedan when they have all the kinks worked out with a tentative unveiling for late in 2016.
Not all the vehicles that hit the chopping block after only a couple years are really bad vehicles. Most of the ones on this list might easily be able to be found as used vehicles that you can purchase for a great price and have a car that will give you everything you need for your driving excitement. On the other hand some cars, the G3 and Coda come to mind, should never have made it to production and won’t be what you want in your fun to drive and limited run used vehicle.
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