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End Of The Road: 35 Iconic Cars Set To Disappear In 2020

Cameron Eittreim September 23, 2019

19: Smart EQ ForTwo

What started life as the Scion IQ, the Smart EQ ForTwo has mustered on for quite some time now. It sold in urban areas where parking is scarce. But for the rest of us, the Smart EQ ForTwo is just an unknown little novelty. As such, the brand is going to stop producing the golf cart-sized vehicle for the 2020 model year.

Smart EQ ForTwo via Motor Trend — via: Motor Trend

If you’ve been searching for a tiny car that’s a breeze to park and still has a bevy of modern, features the Smart EQ ForTwo is a relatively inexpensive little vehicle.

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18: Toyota Prius C

The Prius led the automotive industry during the recession and became a cultural icon for urban dwellers and outdoorsy types alike. But the current Prius C has no real place in the current Toyota lineup.

Crossover vehicles are sold by the dozen and every automotive brand wants to get into the fray. The Prius C is unique in terms of its features. But the design is outdated by now and the car is just sitting on Toyota lots as buyers head toward the HR-V and other compact crossovers.

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17: Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle was one of the most popular vehicles of the 1998 model year and brought Volkswagen from the brink of bankruptcy. But the current model Volkswagen Beetle is just not enough to bolster the sales anymore. So the automaker is going to phase the vehicle out for the 2020 model year.

Volkswagen is going to be shifting its business focus more toward electric vehicles. The Beetle may return as an all-electric vehicle down the road. But for now, the Beetle is going into the sunset.

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16: Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack

The Volkswagen Golf has always been a strong seller for the brand. But in recent years, the company has tried to enter new market segments with the compact hatchback. The Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack were an attempt to take some of the market shares that Subaru currently occupies with their Impreza series of compact cars.

Unfortunately, most diehard off-road wagon buyers are not going for the bait. So the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack will be removed from the lineup for the 2020 model year as a result.

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15: Audi A3 Cabriolet

For the Audi brand, the A3 has been a staple of quality and affordability. If you didn’t have the money to get into a high-end Audi, the A3 still offered plenty of bang for the buck. But as the market trends toward crossover vehicles, the Cabriolet has had a hard time finding customers. The car isn’t bad, but the market for convertibles has become so limited. With Lexus now in the mix and a new Nissan Z on the way, competition is fiercer than ever.

That’s not to say that the A3 Cabriolet isn’t good, because in reality, it offers a stellar amount of value. The performance of the A3 Cabriolet matched that of the TT, but it offered more functionality if you had passengers. Nevertheless, if you still yearn for an Audi convertible, you can opt for the A5 or the TT.

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14: BMW 6 Series GT

The BMW brand has always been affiliated with innovation and performance, which is why the 6 Series GT is such a unique car. For 2020, the car is being phased out but a newly redesigned model is set to hit in a year or so. What makes the 6 Series GT such a unique ride? The 3.0-liter V6 (335 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque) is the first thing. The kind of performance that this car delivers is right in line with what you’d expect from a beamer.

With that aside, the car has some other strong attributes such as a very roomy interior and a four-door design. Whether you want a coupe or not, if you have a family, these cars aren’t always the most practical. With the 6 Series GT, you get the abundance of the creature comforts with the added performance you’d expect.

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13: BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

While the nameplate would have you think otherwise, the 6 Series Gran Coupe is indeed a sedan. The car has a cleverly-disguised pair of rear doors and a sloping design that follows the design of the 6 Series. Unfortunately, BMW is doing a revamp of these models and the Gran Coupe is going to be exiting the market. The 6 Series Gran Coupe is a great car when you factor in itsexcellent design. Sadly, the market for sedans is waning and a super-powered BMW just isn’t on the radar for most.

The 6 Series Gran Coupe is downright gorgeous to look at. But consumer tastes have changed so much in the past decade that automakers need to keep up with the pace. BMW is innovating a new replacement model that will be hitting the market sometime around 2021.

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12: Cadillac ATS

The ATS was a new model for Cadillac, replacing the STS as the midrange luxury sedan in the segment. There was a lot that was different for the ATS, instead of following the traditional formula of the V8 powered rear-wheel-drive sedan. The ATS just never managed to catch on with the buying public, instead appealing more to rental car fleets. It has been a long journey of obscurity for the ATS, but all in all, the car wasn’t that bad. Cadillac is planning a replacement for the ATS, but the brand is continuing the move toward crossover vehicles.

The performance was a strong suit for the ATS but the bland styling left the car in the trenches. Cadillac was attempting to position this as a BMW fighter, but in the end, changes in the marketplace prevailed. Nevertheless, now is a good time to find a deal on a reasonably-equipped ATS before they’re gone forever.

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11: Cadillac ATS-V

In addition to the standard ATS being canceled, the V-Series is hitting the road as well. Cadillac positioned the V-Series as a companion to the popular CTS-V. The problem is that the market for these cars is already saturated and the ATS-V just didn’t offer much in the way of performance to justify its price tag. When you think of what a performance sedan should be, the ATV-V matches a lot of the characteristics. The 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 cranking out 464 hp is a great setup, but consumers crave a V8.

Part of the magic of the original CTS-V was the fact that you got Corvette’s power in a lightweight Cadillac. Nevertheless, the ATS-V will soon be a collector’s item and you might want to get one before it’s too late. GM performance sedans are quickly fading away and the ATS-V will be among the casualties.

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10: Lincoln Continental

After a much-hyped release and an expensive advertising campaign starring Matthew McConaughey, the Continental is no more. The car had a long history in the automotive marketplace for being a car that you’d equate with prestige. The Continental is a beautiful sedan, and there was a lot of effort put into the design. The car is missing a V8, which may have persuaded a few more customers to buy it. Lincoln is looking to follow the rest of the automotive industry’s shift to crossover vehicles.

We’re not sure if this is such a smart thing for the brand, but sadly, the Continental is one of the first casualties. You’ll be able to find a 2020 model year Continental but after that, the car will be gone for good. Sales were never anything amazing and this could have been one of the defining factors of the big Lincoln’s demise.

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9: Infiniti QX30

At this point, the Infiniti brand has become more lost then it ever was before. When Infiniti was introduced to the American automotive market by Nissan in 1989, the cars were unique and had an identity of their own. The QX30 is a rushed attempt to cash in on the rise of high-riding crossovers, as most of the Infiniti brand has become dated. Infiniti cars share platforms with most of the Nissan lineup of vehicles, and consumers are no longer blind to this fact. Therefore, if you’re in the market for a luxury car you might overlook Infiniti.

The QX30 has some good attributes to it such as high-quality interior materials. But the car is still basically a Nissan, and nowadays that works against the Infiniti brand. With the QX30 being axed there will be a void in the Infiniti lineup. Nissan is also prepping to release the Z Pronto and this could spell the end for an upcoming performance model.

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8: Ford Flex

The Ford Flex is another model that isn’t going to see the light of day anymore. While Ford did put a lot of effort into the design its been a long 11 years. In that period, the Flex has become a relic of outdated Ford design, and most cars and SUVs are offering a much more advanced experience. There were some cool things about the Flex such as the unique flat design and seven-passenger seating. There is no doubt that the Flex had a special spot in the hearts of enthusiasts.

But sadly you need more than enthusiasts to sell a car, and the Flex just wasn’t mainstream enough to keep going. The Flex had a lot of cargo space and a lot of passenger volume to make it appealing. However, the extreme styling was just more than most people could fathom and the car was overlooked.

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7: Lexus GS 300

The Lexus GS300 has been a fixture of the brand since the 1990s, and unfortunately, 2020 is the last hurrah for the car. The F series is going to be the last Lexus GS model to come out of the factory, and if you enjoyed this sports sedan you’ll want to act fast. Consumer tastes are shifting away from the sport sedan market and Lexus is changing their lineup. Sadly, the GS300 was a great car but the platform has become aged. Buyers in this segment are starting to shift towards a different style of vehicle.

Lexus has done a great job of differentiating itself from the other luxury car brands on the market. But in a competitive world where crossovers are taking over there just isn’t room for a big luxury sedan anymore. The GS300 will live on in the used car world, and it still provides a very exciting driving experience.

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6: Cadillac CT6

Another Cadillac on the list being canceled is the CT6. Announced late in the game, the CT6 just isn’t measuring up to the sales expectations GM had for it. In addition to that, consumer tastes for sedans are waning and with that comes the need to cut costs. Cadillac is going to focus efforts on the redesigned Escalade and new additions to the lineup. The CT5 had some strong points to it, the car was a major upgrade over the previous CTS. But as Cadillac moves into a new decade, the brand needs to differentiate itself.

The CT6 is among quite a few Cadillac sedans that will no longer see the light of day. The car had some interesting features such as Super Cruise technology. Cadillac has been improving the quality of their sedans for a long time and the CT6 is a sad reminder that the crossover is the wave of the future.

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5: Front-Engine Chevrolet Corvette

The C7 is done and the C8 Corvettes are here. The car no longer has a front-engined design and it looks as though the brand will stick with that. The change in design is a tough pill to swallow for many die-hard Corvette enthusiasts to swallow. The Corvette is now entering legitimate supercar territory and its design changes are abundant. The C7 was a great design that combined the best aspects of the previous generations. As with every generation of the Corvette, we see more changes in design and performance.

There is no doubt that the C7 will hold its value for quite some time. The car had many new technological marvels that hadn’t been seen on a Corvette before. The design aspects of the car coupled with the performance make it a track dream. The C8 is breaking new ground for the future of the Corvette brand.

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4: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LD/GMC Sierra 1500 Limited

Like the Ram Classic, GM also carries over a model year of pickup trucks when a new model is presented. This helps to alleviate the rush in production and make sure that quality was on par. The 1500 LD was a great truck platform and served the company well, making many improvements over the GM bailout platform that had come before it. There’s no doubt that these are some of the most efficient trucks to ever hit the market. The Sierra 1500 Limited marked the true transition into the luxury range in which trucks are headed.

GM has carried over a classic body style with each of its pickup truck generations. You can expect more than a few of these to be sitting on the dealership lots with huge incentives to buy. With the durable Vortec motor and the options in the interior, you can’t go wrong with either of these pickup trucks.

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3: Ferrari 488

The Ferrari 488 is a great sports car for several reasons. Not only is the exterior styling some of the most beautiful that you’ll see on a car, but the performance is also top-notch powered by the 3.9 L V8, a staple of Ferrari innovation. The car is being replaced by an even more powerful model as the company gears up to battle the brand new mid-engined Corvette models. The 488 has managed to garner a cult-like following in the automotive community as well as the media.

Dubbed as “the most powerful V8” in the history of Ferrari, the car has a special presence that few have matched. Sports cars come and go and Ferrari is constantly changing the game with new designs. The 488 is a special vehicle that has a lot to offer in terms of design and the historical value of a Ferrari.

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2: Hyundai Santa Fe XL

Even Hyundai is not immune to changes in the automotive industry, and the company has discontinued the Santa Fe XL. The reason for this is probably so that the car doesn’t coincide with the launch of the Palisade and the Kia Telluride. The three-row design of the Santa Fe XL would have confused potential shoppers. The Sante Fe itself is one of the original crossover vehicles on the market and has experienced a long run.

There were some interesting features about the Hyundai Santa Fe XL, but it never managed to gain much traction with shoppers. The car has always been a solid seller for Hyundai, but not the breakout success that the company wanted. If you want a three-row crossover for a great deal, the Hyundai Santa Fe XL might be worth looking into.

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1: VW E-Golf

It would appear that all automakers have tried to jump on the electric car bandwagon, but few have had success. Tesla pretty much rules the roost as an electric car maker, and VW was trying to get into the fray with the E-Golf. There is a lot to like about the E-Golf but the car just hasn’t gained the traction the company would have liked. Volkswagen is working on a new batch of electric vehicles intending to eventually become an all-electric automaker.

The VW E-Golf is a relatively well-designed car, but in the scheme of things the car just isn’t well developed. The electric car market is brand new and the E-Golf doesn’t stand out enough to grab a decent share of the market. It will be interesting to see what new electric cars VW will be introducing in the place of the E-Golf.

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End Of The Road: 35 Iconic Cars Set To Disappear In 2020

19: Smart EQ ForTwo

18: Toyota Prius C

17: Volkswagen Beetle

16: Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack

15: Audi A3 Cabriolet

14: BMW 6 Series GT

13: BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

12: Cadillac ATS

11: Cadillac ATS-V

10: Lincoln Continental

9: Infiniti QX30

8: Ford Flex

7: Lexus GS 300

6: Cadillac CT6

5: Front-Engine Chevrolet Corvette

4: Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LD/GMC Sierra 1500 Limited

3: Ferrari 488

2: Hyundai Santa Fe XL

1: VW E-Golf

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