What do the Honda Element, Honda S2000, Chevrolet Aveo, Mazda Tribute, Chevrolet HHR, Lexus HS250h, Cadillac STS, Mitsubishi Endeavor, Dodge Caliber, four Suzukis, and the Jeep Liberty have in common?
They all generated U.S. sales activity in 2013, and we all forgot about them in 2014.
Jeep first introduced the Liberty in 2001 as a Cherokee replacement. In the U.S. alone, nearly 1.3 million were sold. The Liberty’s first full year, 2002, was its best, with 171,212 sales. 6101 were sold in 2013. Of those 6101, 81% were sold in the first-quarter. The Liberty’s Cherokee replacement will top the 170K mark this year.
Suzuki reported 5946 sales in calendar year 2013. All of those reported sales occurred in the first-quarter of last year. The SX4 and Kizashi were the “big” sellers, with 2859 and 1602 sales, respectively. The Grand Vitara and Equator contributed the remainder.
Mitsubishi sold 109 Eclipses and 24 Endeavors last year. The Galant is the most recently killed Mitsubishi. 122 Galant sales were reported by Mitsubishi USA in the first-quarter of 2014.
Last year, Honda’s two S2000 sales popped out of the blue. Honda’s two Element sales were the last of 338,788 sold in America. Dodge finished off the Caliber’s disappointing run – to begin a disappointing run with the Dart – with 45 sales in the first two months of 2013. Besides five Lexus HS sedans and three Mazda Tributes, leftovers also included 19 Cadillac DTSs, nine Buick Lucernes, seven Cadillac STSs, three Chevrolet HHRs, and two Chevrolet Aveos.
They all generated varying degree of sales in 2013, but none in 2014. The Hyundai Veracruz, Mazda RX-8, Mercedes-Benz R-Class, Cadillac Escalade EXT, Volvo C30, Acura ZDX, Chevrolet Avalanche, Mitsubishi Galant, Volkswagen Routan, and Mercedes-Benz CL-Class all stand out from the aforementioned pack as these latter cars generated at least one reported sale in calendar year 2014. It’s unlikely any of them will turn up on sales charts in 2015, joined in the great parking lot in the sky by, perhaps, the Lexus LFA (one sale reported as recently as November), the Porsche 918 Spyder (sold out, but 20 were delivered in November according to Porsche USA), and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (another three sales reported in November).
The Acura TSX is being cleared out: two of the wagons were sold in November; 18 of the sedans. Acura also has a few lingering TL sedans. 78 were reported sold in November. Subaru’s Tribeca is very nearly finished – only 30 were sold in November. Chevrolet is finishing up their fleet-only Captiva Sport. The Jaguar XK’s casket was prepared months ago but the clear-out will likely continue into 2015. Honda dealers will also need time to rid themselves of Insights.
Many of these we are happy to forget. Some slip too quickly from our minds. Recent history suggests many niche-market BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes will step in to fill the void. There will be plenty of choices in 2015 just as there were in 2014, despite the complete loss of your beloved Suzuki brand and the disappearance of the maligned fourth-gen Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
“three Chevrolet HHRs and two Chevrolet Aveos.”
This why I always get a kick out of people who upon hearing a new introduction by Mega Motors will say, “They’ll sell every one they make…”
Well, duh! Going by the two Chevys listed above, it may have taken a lot of cash on the hood, but Chevy sold “every one they made”
They are starting to get a little smarter with productions. Here at our Ford dealership we generally sell out of a previous model within 2 months of a new model year coming out. Ford hasn’t been putting as much cash on the hood for “left-overs” either. Still there is always some odd ball stuff, we have brand new 2013 F650 gas dump truck that I’ll give you a great deal on!
I want to know the transaction prices of those 3 HHRs and 2 Aveos. Did one person but them all for $20K? I think that’s about what I would pay for the misery of owning 3 HHRs and 2 Aveos.
I was most surprised to see an S2000 sold, since I thought they had gone out of production in 2010.
The Internet tells me it was actually 2009 when they stopped. So that S2000 has to be vehicle cancelled furthest back which had a sale last year. Must have been a dealer holding one on the showroom floor, or up on a stand somewhere?
True, but then again, these cars were sold by dealers, not the manufacturer. I’m sure after decorating the lot for a couple of years, the dealer was willing to take whatever it could on them.
Always intersting to see how cars dissapear once abandoned by the car makers. I guess they just trickle away. I did smile at this….
“There will be plenty of choices in 2015 just as there were in 2014, despite the complete loss of your beloved Suzuki brand”. Beloved?
Beloved, not by you or me, but by somebody, some place, at some time?
Well they do make decent motorcycles…
They were great if you wanted a Nissan Frontier, but with a different badge on it.
The Equator is the one Suzuki model I never saw. Hell, I just saw a crappy little Reno yesterday…
I did see an Equator in the wild once, and the Daewoo-supplied Suzukis used to be fairly common. Never spotted a Dakota-rebadge Mitsubishi Raider, though.
Now see, I saw at least one Raider. They looked decent in red.
I have to say, I’m a bit disappointed about the Jaguar XK. With the F-Type in the lineup, I was hoping they’d turn the XK into a grand-tourer with proper room for four adults, a la 6-Series. But alas…
“Last year, Honda’s two S2000 sales popped out of the blue.”
…the hell?? Honda stop making these in 2009. Did a dealer just have these sitting for 5 YEARS?
Possibly. There is a 1987 Buick GNX still sitting in a dealership’s showroom.
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/10/business/la-fi-autos-buick-gnx-20101211
According to cars.com there are 7 TSX Sportwagons left. They are asking premium dollars so I think they will be on next years list of “still selling.”
Very interesting topic and perspective. How and where does one look to be aware when some last example of a dying yet desired model belatedly appears. No database search in 2013 ever told me one could find a new Honda Element.
I’d have been perfectly happy to buy and dust-off the last of the litter.
Already have your name on the list for the last Outlander and Journey… Enjoy!
Nearly was T-boned yesterday by a Journey in the supermarket lot. Got a real good look. Too big.
… and they have sucky brakes which you obviously found out U ok?
Yep, thanks. The Journey’s brakes worked just fine once the dipsh1t driving it realized he needed to apply them.
I always park on the fringes of a big lot so I don’t get enclosed by bro-dozers. Unfortunately, that makes you susceptible to morons on an oblique trajectory who think they’re free & clear enough to ignore lane lines while effing with their phones.
It’s kind of like space junk. If it comes, it comes fast.
To top it off did they glare at you like *you* did something wrong? Man, I hate that
Nah, this guy just held up both hands and nodded his head like “my bad”. I saw no reason to get confrontational ’cause I could’ve done a better job of swiveling my head instead of just thinking painted lines mean anything. A sharp reminder for us both.
Parking lots, or as I like to call them “Undercover Demo Derby Arenas”.
I was puling out of a K-Mart last week with a Hyundai SUV that was cutting lanes, then they tried to but in front of me to the exit. Then they woke up and realized I have a Volvo and they have a Hyundai.
Most people don’t seem to know that paring lots have laws too.
“Most people don’t seem to know that paring lots have laws too.”
Indeed. I’ve been known to cut across parking lots, but not with abandon. I always make sure the coast is clear first, and I’ve never almost run into anyone…
People that pull through angled parking spots (where the rows are each one way) should burn in hell.
I don’t know. I pull through sometimes, but my car has a small enough turning radius that I can pull out in the right direction…
I like cutting across parking lots in a diagonal fashion like a speed demon.
I am always afraid I will go careening about into one of those concrete parking space blocker things.
I once drove over one in a J-Body at about 4 mph. I was convinced it destroyed the front end (but shockingly, no harm done).
CUV ground clearance FTW!
Birth control FTW!
If you’re in the middle of doing stuff while driving over a concrete curb you would give new meaning to the term “pulling out” while perpetuating the true Darwinism theory all in one maneuver.
If you’re referring to the “bumpy road abortion” myth, then just true Darwinism applies. By most you’d be cons1dered too stupid to breathe
OK, *retroactive* birth control for those who boast about doing d1ckhead diagonals today.
Not straight ahead parking spots. The ones on angles where if you park facing out, your car will be pointed the wrong direction at traffic.
From Ryoku75, “Most people don’t seem to know that paring lots have laws too”
Do they? Seriously? I was always told that a Stop sign (as an example), was not legally enforceable by the police as a parking lot is private property and it is not a city sign.
Who bought a last of production Galant? Lol
I rarely ever see any of the 2004- (and up) models.
They must have crapped out boat loads of the previous generations. I see those things every where. And you just KNOW they’re worth every bit of $400.
Who bought a Galant? Probably someone with really bad credit.
My friend Jeff got a top of the line Galant (V6, those weird alloys with 6 or 7 spokes) from his mother, so…I guess that’s one person.
Really weird wheels…thick spokes, thick hub section, gunmetal gray. Can’t even find a picture of ’em on Google.
The Gallant was still on Mitsubishi’s web site earlier this year even tough the last ones were produced in 2012.
I would speculate the languishing HHR models were SS versions that dealers had stupid high ADM on and were clinging on to the hope some idiot would pony up the money.
As maligned as they are, if someone handed me the keys to a HHR SS with the manual I’d be grinning – Cobalt SS wagon sleeper fun – fine the interior is designed by Coleman and built by North Korea, but the chassis is supposed to be impressive.
If you plan on keeping a vehicle more than five years it would pay to buy a discontinued model or an orphan brand that can still be serviced under warranty. I bought a new 2008 Isuzu I-370 4×4 crew cab in the Summer of 2008 after Isuzu announced they were pulling out of the US market. With a 10k discount it was a good buy and I still own it 6 1/2 years later. If you keep a vehicle less than 5 years you might take a beating on the depreciation. My Isuzu is the same truck as a Colorado/Canyon so getting parts for it is not a problem. Also having a 6 year warranty was a good incentive which I did use once which covered towing.