Ashes to ashes, dust to rust. The life of an automobile is fairly limited. And the same can be said for automotive nameplates. With only the rarest exceptions, even the most popular badges have finite lives, as the Ford Model Y and Volkswagen Beetle proved. With the arrival of the 2025 model year there are still more nameplates set to drive off into the sunset, the Chevrolet Malibu being just one of the best-known examples. Here’s a look at some other product lines we won’t see going forward.
The car that helped revitalize the brand at the turn of the century.
The automakers giveth. The automakers taketh away. If we’re sounding a bit biblical it’s because it’s time to mourn – or celebrate, if you prefer – the imminent demise of some well-known automotive nameplates.
While a badge may be wildly popular one year, it can fade into oblivion the next, whether due to a poor redesign or shifting consumer sentiments. Remember the Pontiac Firebird or the Toyota Celica?
Of course, some nameplates have such a strong cache’ that they’re worth bringing back. The Chevrolet Blazer is one example, as is the Toyota Supra and Ford’s Bronco. So, there very well could be an afterlife, after all, for some of these once-popular models.
Audi A5 Coupe and Convertible
When it debuted, the A5 was seen as the ultimate in Audi design. But it’s lost its cache’ in recent years. That’s not to say the latest version isn’t attractive. It’s simply being ignored in a market largely focused on crossover and sport-utility vehicles. As a result, say goodbye to the two-door A5, S5 and RS5 models, both coupe and convertible. That said, this Audi line isn’t vanishing entirely. We’ll continue to see production of the four-door A5 Sportback. And there are rumors the two-door line could yet return.
Chevrolet Camaro
Chance are you thought this classic pony car was already gone. If you look at the sales numbers, the Chevrolet Camaro was barely hanging on, the bowtie brand delivering a mere 444 of them during the third quarter of this year. Camaro has also suffered from shifting market trends and a less than stellar redesign – even if its arch-rival, the Ford Mustang – continues to strut its stuff. This marks the second time Chevy has pulled the plug on Camaro. But some suspect it could make yet another Lazarus-like return, most likely in EV form.
Chevrolet Malibu
By now, about the only place you’re likely to find a Chevy Malibu is in the rent-a-car market. The automaker has already notified workers at its Fairfax, Kansas assembly plant that production will officially end next month. As with Camaro, the decision should come as no surprise considering Chevy sold just 24,424 of the midsize sedans during the third quarter, a 27% year-over-year decline. With the departure of Malibu and Camaro the bowtie brand will no longer offer a single sedan, coupe or hatchback
Fisker’s latest round of layoffs affected numerous departments
Fisker Ocean
This is one model we are surprised even made it into the 2024 model year. The Fisker brand – named for its founder and one-time designer Henrik Fisker – seemed almost doomed from the start due to financial problems. But even after production of the midsize EV began it seemed highly unlikely it would mimic the success of rival EV maker and industry powerhouse Tesla. Not after reviews from the likes of Consumer Reports which used words like “bizarre” and “nauseating” to describe its features and ride. Fisker just this month received court approval for its bankruptcy plan.
Ford Edge
First launched in 2007, the Ford Edge initially clicked with motorists who wanted a more streamlined model than the chunky SUVs of that era. But it slowly faded into obscurity as competitors adopted softer, more stylish designs – as did Ford with its own alternatives, the long-running Explorer and smaller Escape. Offered solely in two-row configuration, Edge also fell victim to the growing demand for three-row crossovers.
Infiniti Q50
This should come as no surprise, considering what’s happening across the automotive market. Infiniti is killing off the last of its passenger car models. It certainly hasn’t helped that the Q50 has gone more than a decade without a complete makeover, even as Infiniti has poured plenty of love into its crossover line-up. While there are still a handful of luxury sedans available in the U.S. market, competitors from brands like Acura, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz collectively seem an endangered species.
Jaguar
Jaguar says it’s lineup of EVs will be distinct and they will be “A copy of nothing.”
E-Pace, I-Pace, XF and F-Type
What can we say about Jaguar? Perhaps we can start by saying it’s a brand in search of a reason to exist. Once celebrated for sexy, exotic designs like the classic E-Type and subsequent XJ and XK models, seemingly everything has gone wrong for the British marque. With rare exceptions – like the F-Type – it couldn’t come up with designs strong enough to overcome its many weaknesses. (Think quality and reliability, for starters.) Indian parent Tata Motors isn’t read to throw in the towel and insist the demise of these four nameplates won’t sound Jaguar’s swan song. But we’re skeptical about what’s to follow.
Nissan Titan
Japan’s second-largest automaker was wildly optimistic when it brought the original Titan pickup to market for the 2004 model year. After all, Japanese brands dominated so many other segments of the market, including midsize trucks. And Nissan had lured to its team a number of former domestic designers and engineers. But success wasn’t in the cards. Nissan simply missed the mark in a number of ways, among other things failing to offer the range of options, powertrains and body styles Detroit trucks delivered. The latest version of Titan, despite efforts to get things right, wasn’t even an also-ran.
Ram 1500 Classic
With the launch of the Classic, Ram turned to a classic approach, offering budget-minded buyers a way to get into a new, full-size pickup without the price penalty of its latest-generation 1500, all new for 2024. But even at a discount price, the old model simply didn’t seem a good enough deal, many potential buyers turning, instead, to nearly new Ford F-150s and Chevrolet Silverados. It hasn’t helped that even the new version of the Ram 1500 is struggling in the marketplace.
Volvo S60
What a surprise! Another luxury sedan is biting the dust. Actually, among all the outgoing four-doors we’ve listed here, the Volvo S60 is the only one that should live on, at least in some global markets. But the Swedish automaker simply had to look at the sales numbers to recognize there’s no viable U.S. demand for sedans, much as it has accepted is the reality with station wagons. In recent years, the S60 was being produced at the Volvo plant outside Savannah, Georgia. The new EX90 battery-electric SUV is now taking its place.
At the extremes
- There are plenty of other models set to vanish before 2025 arrives and a number of them live at the extremes of the market. They include such base nameplates as the
- Kia Forte
- Mini Clubman
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Toyota Venza
There are a number of exotics also coming to the end of the line. These include:
- Bugatti Chiron
- Ferrari 812 and F8 Spider
- Lamborghini Huracan
- Maserati Ghibli, Levante and Quattroporte
- Nissan GT-R
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