The cars that buyers fell out of love with
Over the years we’ve seen countless car models surge to prominence before drifting away into relative obscurity. Naturally, this is the case with most things as public perception and trends change, but there have been some notable cars which fell out of favour with buyers quite spectacularly.
Here, we’re going to take a look at the cars which buyers lost their love for.
Volkswagen Beetle
The Beetle was a mainstay in Volkswagen’s range for decades. It was, in many ways, the original VW built as a car for everyone but it seemed that as the Beetle got newer, heavier and less agile, fewer people wanted it.
After three generations, thousands of models and a presence on the forecourts spanning seven decades, it was announced in 2019 that the Beetle would no longer be a sight in Volkswagen’s list of new cars.
Ford Edge
The Ford Edge was something of a glimmer in the motoring world. It was, for a little while, Ford of Europe’s largest and most luxurious SUV, taking an obvious influence from the brand’s American models but bringing that in a more European-friendly package.
While initial sales of the Edge weren’t too bad, it was axed in 2019. The strange part was that this decision came just months after it was facelifted and revised - so it must’ve been that Ford didn’t see a future for this chunky SUV.
Kia Stinger
Kia’s Stinger represented a whole new area for the Korean brand. A performance-focused high-end model was something of a departure from Kia’s usual models, but it arrived with such fanfare that it seemed bound for greatness.
But while initial buyers did seem to love the Stinger’s quirkiness and surprisingly brisk performance, it quickly slid off. It was canned in 2022 after sales had started to become quite sluggish.
Mercedes CLS
The Mercedes CLS was one of the first cars to use a coupe-inspired saloon car design. Its first generation was the one which made the most impact due to its swoopy, elegant look and its high-end interior while a plush on-road experience made it into a car which would happily waft along for thousands of miles.
But newer generations of the CLS failed to hit quite the same mark, which is why Mercedes announced that production would be ending in 2023.
Volvo Estates
Volvo is a car company which is best-known for its estate cars. Previous models like the 850, the V70 and the newer V90 all showcased an awareness of the need for a big, spacious ‘wagon’ that could be as much use to families as possible.
But in 2023, Volvo made something of a shock announcement - it would no longer be producing estate cars. However, the Swedish brand had some method to it as sales for its SUV range vastly exceeded those for its load-lugging estates, so you can see why it made the move.
