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Out to pasture: These cars aren’t coming back in 2021
Posted by Talbot Payne on December 31, 2020
A long list of sedans introduced with great fanfare just a few years ago have been quietly retired for the 2021 model year.
The industry is experiencing radical change, and vehicles have to prove relevant to keep up. Sedans have been displaced by SUVs as Americans’ favorite vehicles. Trucks are the new lux. Manufacturers are pouring money into electrics to satisfy goveSearch Assets rnment mandates. And electronics are changing everything.
Here’s a farewell to vehicles we won’t be seeing next year.
Acura RLX
Acura’s flagship sedan is packing it in. The big sled boasted a hybrid V-6 derived from Acura’s NSX supercar, a trunkload of standard technology, and an affordable starting price. But it never was able to slug it out with luxury heavyweights like BMW and Mercedes. Honda is rebirthing its luxury line as a performance brand and the tame RLX doesn’t fit the new narrative. Acura’s smaller sedans are quick and athletic, while large and nimble SUVs like the MDX are customers’ preferred sleds.
Alfa Romeo 4C
Alfa Romeo’s sensational coupe ends its run as America’s only sports car under $100,000 with a carbon-fiber chassis. Introduced as the performance standard for the brand’s expanded sedan and SUV lineup, the wee 4C was a grown-up’s toy. With pin-point handling and a farty exhaust note, the 2,500-pounder was a great escape pod from daily life. Just don’t venture too far from home: cargo room was virtually non-existent. The 4C goes out in style with the final edition Spider 33 Stradale Tributo. Honoring the legendary 1967 Alfa 33 Stradale race car, it’s dressed exclusively in Rosso Villa d’Este paint with gray-gold alloy wheels.
BMW i8
The i8 was the first mid-engine BMW since the legendary 1979-1980 M1. The exotic i8 stopped traffic with its gorgeous design, including scissor doors, multi-colored kidney grille and swept hips. The all-wheel drive hybrid was powered by a three-cylinder gas engine mated to a front electric motor. If the M1 launched the Bavarian brand’s iconic M-performance badge, the i8 was supposed to introduce a new, battery-powered BMW to the world. But the i8 lacked an identity — it had supercar looks, but its performance was geared more toward environmentally conscious buyers.
Buick Regal/Regal Tour X
The venerable Regal made a last stab at relevance in Buick’s remade SUV lineup with a sportback sedan and a crossover wagon. A sleek sedan with hatchback utility, the Regal sought to combine the best of two worlds. Its sister Tour X was based on Europe’s Opel Insignia Country Tourer, bringing Euro-wagon elegance to the U.S. Despite their best efforts, the Buicks succumbed to stereotype: Americans don’t buy big sedans or wagons.
Cadillac CT6
Hatched as Cadillac’s flagship sedan in 2016, CT6 brought a number of cutting-edge technologies to the brand including a lightweight multi-metal chassis, Super Cruise driver-assist and a twin-turbo Blackwing engine. Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot have led the way in semi-autonomous driving, and it will soon be in every vehicle in the Cadillac lineup. As the CT6 bows out, it leaves the Escalade as Cadillac’s flagship.
Chevrolet Impala
One of GM’s most storied badges bites the dust. Again. In a past life, the Chevy Impala was the best-selling U.S. vehicle ever, selling more than 1 million units in 1965. After hiatus from 1996-2000, GM brought the big sedan back as a mainstay of police and rental fleets. With the large-sedan market cratering (and even police cars are moving to SUVs), Impala got one final, handsome makeover in 2014 as a handsome, roomy sedan with muscular hips that made the badge proud.
Chevrolet Sonic
With the departure of the Impala and Sonic, Chevy is waving the white flag on cars. The wee Spark and mid-size Malibu are all that remain against a sea of Asian sedans. The Sonic was a pert, affordable subcompact, but was perhaps best known in Detroit for its manufacturing lineage. Production of the Korean-made Sonic was moved to Orion Assembly after GM bankruptcy negotiations with the UAW. It leaves Orion as it converts to EV production.
Dodge Grand Caravan
Dodge has become a muscle-car brand, and the Grand Caravan minivan doesn’t fit in with the Brotherhood of Muscle since Dodge has no plans to stuff it with a Hellcat V-8. Still, Grand Caravan sold well until its last breath. The Chrysler Voyager will pick up where Caravan left off, offering family-value below $30,000.
Dodge Journey
The aged Dodge Journey SUV was one of the best values on the market, offering three-row utility for a ridiculous starting price of $25,000. Media types griped about its 4-speed transmission and dated 2.5-liter engine, but the Journey was roomy with Dodge’s superb Uconnect infotainment system.
Fiat 124 Spider
A modern take on Fiat’s classic 1960s roadster, the 124 was an attractive, affordable small sports car. Produced alongside the Mazda Miata – with which it shared a chassis and interior — in Japan, the “Fiata” never sold as well as its Japanese twin.
Fiat 500L
Fiat’s little 500L compact wagon was the Pope’s choice of wheels when he visited the White House in 2015, but it did little for the Fiat’s profile in the U.S. market. Cute as button, the Fiat just wasn’t the brand Americans were looking for when they went ute shopping. The 500L’s demise leaves its sister SUV, the 500X, as the last Fiat standing in the U.S. market.
Ford Fusion
The Fusion limps to the finish line as Ford transitions to an all-SUV brand. It seems like another lifetime ago, but when the 2013 Fusion debuted it turned heads as one of autodom’s most beautiful sedans. It inspired a generation of Fords with Aston Martin-like grilles. Competing in the high-volume mid-size segment, the Fusion had it all. Options included all-wheel drive, a hybrid plug-in model, even a hopped-up V-6 muscle sedan. Look for the Fusion badge to return soon as a Subaru Outback-fighting crossover.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT350/350R
With its shrieking 8,000-rpm engine and dual stripes, the Shelby GT350 (and track-focused R model) was an instant muscle icon. The first Shelby GT350 produced since the 1965 legend, the modern car had amenities — magnetic shocks, digital displays — that the original could only have dreamed of. Yet, the GT350’s raw nature was intact with manual shifter only. In one last homage to the original Shelby, the last GT350s to roll off the line were dressed in Wimbledon White.
Honda Fit
One of the most versatile subcompacts in its class, the Honda Fit falls victim to the SUV onslaught. What it lacked in gerbil-power it made up for in practicality. The Fit featured sippy mpg and a handy hatchback. Inside, its signature second-row “Magic Seats” could be folded flat or folded up, so you could roll a bicycle inside. The front passenger seat could be folded flat for extra cargo room.
Jaguar XE
Jaguar’s entry-level, compact sedan couldn’t compete with SUVs. Notice a theme here? Typical of Jaguar, the XE was a looker and a joy to drive through the twisties. Alas, the infotainment system was slow and the back seat tight. With the loss of V-6 and diesel engine options for 2020, the XE was neglected.
Jaguar XF Sportbrake
The XF Sportbrake was a stunning Brit wagon in a Yankee market that does not prize wagons. The Sportbrake crossed the pond and wowed with all-wheel-drive handling and hot styling. Step up to the V-6-powered 380-horse S model and you could pick on Porsches on the way to soccer practice.
Kia Optima
Optima, meet the new Kia K5. Kia’s Optima was one of the prettiest sedans in its segment and helped establish Hyundai’s sister brand as an upscale buy. Don’t cry for the Optima, though. The K5 is even better looking while offering luxury amenities for under $30,000.
Lexus GS
Not even the strong Lexus brand could save the GS sedan. Slotted between the sporty, compact ES and the top-drawer LX, the vanilla GS got lost. Lexus customers prefer the best-selling RX350 SUV when shopping for a mid-sizer. And if you’re looking for a luxurious sedan, the Toyota Avalon is a better buy, anyway.
Lincoln Continental
The flagship Lincoln Continental wowed the 2017 Detroit auto show. Resurrecting the brand’s storied badge, the Continental debuted with a host of knockout features inside its elegant shell. There were 30-way front seats and a rear seat as nice as a boardroom. Those features eventually trickled down to more popular SUVs. Its work done, the sedan is being put out the pasture.
Lincoln MKZ
Also out to pasture is the mid-size Lincoln MKZ sedan. It will be missed. The MKZ’s shapely bod still turns heads and many competitors have adopted its stylish, horizontal tail light. Built on the same front-wheel-drive platform as the retiring Ford Fusion, the MKZ lacked the gusto found in competitors like Acura and Cadillac.
Mercedes-Benz SLC/SLK
The Mercedes SLC Roadster and its SLK hardtop twin bow out, and the luxury class will be less fun without it. The SLC in particular was a topless, weekend joyride. The 241-horse turbo-4 was a treat, even if the interior felt dated.
Nissan 370Z
Nissan’s affordable 370Z sports car exits stage-right. The Z Proto concept indicates a sequel is on the way, albeit at a significant price jump into the mid-$40,000 range. The $30,000 370Z may have been getting long in the tooth, but its V-6 engine was a hoot.
Subaru BRZ
The Subaru BRZ sports car takes a one-year sabbatical. The good news is it will come back better than ever for 2022. One of the most fun, affordable sports cars around, the next-gen BRZ will have a stiffer chassis, 10% more horsepower and updated styling. Good things come in twos, and BRZ will also have a twin sold as a Toyota 86.
Toyota Yaris
One of the most affordable cars in the market, the wee Toyota Yaris was a starter car with punch. Based on the Mazda2 chassis, it was fun to throw around. With 40 mpg and easy-to-park dimensions, it was an urban favorite. Entry-level Toyota buyers will have to cough up an extra $4,000 and buy a Corolla.