25 Cars People Refuse to Associate With

15. Cadillac ATS

The ATS is a great car with a modern design. It is quality built and has power, style, and an attractive appearance. So why is it such a sales flop? Well, this has nothing to do with the car itself, but with the marketing and the car class. Cadillac didn’t see how most sedans were on their way out while being slowly replaced by SUVs.

Even though the ATS is a good proposition in its class, it is not interesting to the modern buyer. Cadillac is discontinuing the model and closing its production lines, laying off workers. Although that’s sad news, it shows the direction the car industry is heading.

16. Honda Insight

Honda wanted a piece of the action in the hybrid car segment, so they introduced the Insight. Interestingly, it was a direct copy and competitor to the Toyota Prius. The Prius even managed to win thousands of car owners. In fact, it became the dominant model in its segment.

However, over time, the Insight failed miserably and sold just a few thousand examples. The reason was that the Insight was less powerful, slower and uglier than the Prius. So, most people just didn’t want to have anything to do with it. Unfortunately for Honda, the Insight was a major disappointment.

17. Chrysler 200

The 200 has a cool design and looks modern, which are great accomplishments in a class filled with interesting designs. However, the quality is lacking, so the reliability score is less than average. Also, rear passengers have a problem with comfort. Also, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder is not a fast or powerful engine.

Automotive journalists have published lots of articles explaining why the 200 failed to hit its mark. Unfortunately, after the 2017 model year, this car was discontinued. Chrysler fans hope they will replace it with something truly remarkable to repair their damaged reputation. In the meantime, you should ignore this car.

18. Ford Explorer

The Ford Explorer was one of the cars that defined the SUV segment on the American market. Initially, it was a successful model. But soon the public realized this car was potentially deadly, so nobody wanted to have anything with it. The early ‘90s models tended to roll over.

Apparently, the Explorer wasn’t stable at sharp turns and at high speeds. And that caused numerous crashes, deaths and injuries.

19. Chevrolet SSR

During the mid-2000s retro craze, the Chevrolet development team came up with the crazy idea to produce a nostalgic two-seater convertible pickup with muscle car performance. The result was the SSR, a vehicle that looked unlike any other car on the market, but not necessarily in a good way. The 1950s-inspired design didn’t work well, so the SSR looked just plain odd.

Despite many efforts to make the SSR appealing to their intended audience, Chevrolet only sold around 24,000 of these oddballs. It was a painful realization they needed much more than a wild imagination to make a new concept work.

20. Volkswagen Phaeton

The Phaeton was one of the most expensive flops in recent years. Also, it was a clear case of misjudgment from Volkswagen. It was a luxury sedan from a company that specializes in economy models. Volkswagon used a Bentley Continental platform with a big engine, adding some upscale features.

But the market wasn’t ready for a brand that gained fame with affordable models to introduce a luxurious land barge. And so, the Phaeton failed worldwide, despite being a fantastic car. Even though it is affordable on the used car market, people don’t want to buy it.

21. Suzuki Kizashi

The Kizashi was an interesting proposition with good mechanics, decent looks and powerful engines. And while all of that looked good on paper, it couldn’t translate to sales figures because of bad marketing.

But most of all, there was a rather bizarre recall due to the possibility of spiders weaving webs in the fuel tank. Also, the Kizashi usually sold within the Hyundai and Subaru dealer networks, so car buyers simply chose brands they were more familiar with.

22. Hummer H2

When they first introduced it in the early 2000s, the Hummer H2 was over-the-top for customers looking for attention who didn’t care about fuel efficiency or the environment. Since then, the Hummer H2 has lost much of its appeal.

This is because the general car buying market finally realized it is just a big wagon without any off-road abilities. Also, it has little usable space, terrible fuel economy and questionable styling.

23. Cadillac ELR

Cadillac made a brave attempt to break into the luxury EV market. However, it didn’t pay off since car buyers ignored the ELR. The car was cool-looking and luxurious, but it came with a rather limited range, high price and strange marketing.

Also, Cadillac presented it at the same time when Tesla started producing the more practical and cooler Model S. Because of that, the ELR`s fate was sealed in just a couple of years on the market.

24. Kia Cadenza

The days of big sedans are numbered. If you look at the modern car market, you will see that SUVs had taken over. But Kia learned that the hard way when they introduced the Cadenza a few years back.

Although the car was decent in all aspects, it was nothing special. In fact, it was even too boring for the average buyer to notice it. Also, the SUV craze killed it. After just a few years, the annual sales went below 10,000 examples, which was pathetic.

25. Mitsubishi i-MiEV

If you think that the Mirage is bad, just wait until you hear about the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric model. Building an all-electric car was a smart move for Mitsubishi since this segment is promising. But if you want to sell cars, you have to offer something substantial to car buyers. However, Mitsubishi failed to do so.

The i-MiEV is painfully slow to recharge. In fact. it takes between seven and 21 hours to fully recharge the batteries, which is longer than other electric cars on the market. And when you do recharge it, the drive is terrible.

Also, the interior is outdated, cramped and not nice. The car, in general, is undeveloped, clumsy and painfully slow. In comparison to other electric cars in its class, like the Nissan Leaf, the i-MiEV looks like an unfinished prototype.

These are the top 25 cars you shouldn’t touch with a 10 foot pole, for a myriad of reasons. While some are unsafe, others are just downright ugly. So, whatever you do, avoid these cars at all costs.