Even though millions of cars are sold each year, not all are successful and profitable. The demand for new vehicles is constantly growing, but most car manufacturers struggle to stay afloat. That’s just the harsh reality of today’s market. However, amongst the successful debuts and those that do alright, some are complete disasters financially and can be considered flops.
You might think that they all have terrible flaws that make buyers run away, but the reality is that’s not always true. However, they ultimately still had problems finding customers willing to pay for them. Some are of these debuts were ugly. Most failed because of circumstances out of their control. Other times, their designers failed to capture the market’s taste. Either way, all of them have exciting but sad stories. Buckle up and enjoy the car industry’s 30 biggest flops right here.
30. Cadillac Cimarron
Today, almost all American luxury brands have downsized their lineup. They now offer more affordable and compact versions of their vehicles. But back in the early ’80s, this move was something still unheard of and hard to understand. Cadillac had somewhat of an identity crisis in those days. So they sought a way to reinvent themselves and fight their foreign competitors (via The Drive). After lengthy meetings involving their product development managers, they introduced a miniature Cadillac with a lower price.
The problem was that Cadillac didn’t have a small platform, so they turned to Chevrolet. They borrowed the modest Cavalier chassis and its small, slow four-cylinder engine. Although Cadillac dressed the Cavalier with a new name, the Cimarron wasn’t enough. Sales were poor and Cadillac was under fire from their brand loyalists for ruining their image. The Cimarron was a laughingstock. For that reason, most people believe this model should remain forgotten even though it was visionary and influential.