Inventory of discontinued models in 2023: which one is the most regrettable?

In recent years, with the acceleration of the pace of electrification transformation of car companies, technologies and products related to new energy have sprung up, and consumers' acceptance of new energy vehicles is getting higher and higher.

So today, let's sort out which classic models will officially bid farewell to the historical stage in 2023.

Ford Focus

The first generation of Focus was born in 1998, and it has a history of 25 years, and the domestic Focus at its peak, with excellent handling and classic hatchback design, has won the sales championship in the compact car market for 7 consecutive months, with monthly sales of 30,000 units easily, and even once exceeded 40,000 units. Later, because of the use of dry dual-clutch, the sales of the Focus began to plummet, all the way to a sharp decline, and later, due to the poor market feedback, the dry dual-clutch was abandoned and the AT transmission was used, but at the same time, the four-cylinder became a three-cylinder, which once again intensified the pace of decline of the Focus, so that it gradually disappeared from the public eye.

Of course, in order to recover the decline, the later Focus also changed back to the combination of four-cylinder + 6AT, but at this time, the Chinese auto market is no longer the era of joint venture monopoly, and the independent brand has been in a blowout period, and the Focus has already lost the reputation accumulated in the glorious period. Therefore, even if it was changed back to a four-cylinder, the Focus would not be able to recover its decline until it was officially announced to be officially discontinued. In addition, the price of the 1.5T version of the new Mondeo has also dropped to less than 150,000, if you add terminal discounts, even if the Focus does not stop production, the later living space will be squeezed out by the Mondeo, the long pain is better than the short pain, in order to stop the loss in time, you can only sacrifice the Focus, so far, a generation of classics will bid farewell to the historical stage.

Ford Fiesta

For Chinese consumers, the Ford Fiesta is also an old acquaintance, with its sporty hatchback styling and excellent chassis handling, it has achieved good sales results and market reputation in the small car market, and even now, the Fiesta ST is quite popular in the second-hand car market.

The Ford Fiesta was released in 1976 and launched seven generations of models, and by the time of the seventh generation model, the Ford Fiesta was actually barely surviving. In the Chinese market, independent brands continue to rise, and the domestic carnival has no competitive advantage in all aspects of its product strength, so it has been discontinued as early as 2015, and in recent years, affected by Ford's global strategic adjustment and electrification impact, in addition to the Chinese market, the carnival presence in overseas markets is getting lower and lower, therefore, in the summer of 2023, after the last batch of carnivals rolled off the assembly line at the Cologne plant in Germany, Ford officially announced the discontinuation of the carnival, which means that a generation of classic carnivals officially bid farewell to the global stage。

Mazda CX-4

Mazda's products, both in appearance and handling, have unique advantages, but this does not mean that it can survive in the Chinese market for a long time, of which Mazda CX-4 is a good example, as far as the product itself is concerned, Mazda CX-4 is still good, the appearance of the coupe, in the SKYACTIV 2.0L+6AT powertrain blessing, so that Mazda CX-4 in terms of handling, is definitely better than the North and South Volkswagen, It is not an exaggeration to say that the Mazda CX-4 is one of the most handling models in the 150,000-yuan class SUV.

But for Chinese consumers, looks and handling alone won't impress them. The car is a good car, but in terms of space and price, the Mazda CX-4 is not outstanding, which is one of the main reasons why consumers are not optimistic about Mazda models, so its sales have been at a low level. At the same time, in 2021, FAW Mazda withdrew from the stage of history, and it merged its business into Changan Mazda, and the first victim of this business adjustment fell on the popular Mazda CX-4, which finally ushered in the end of its life after selling the last 500 units in June 2023.

BMW Brilliance 1 Series

In fact, the BMW 1 Series has been mainly sold in China in the form of imports, focusing on hatchback models, but the price is relatively high, and it has not met the expected market performance, so there is the later BMW Brilliance 1 Series. Different from the imported version, in order to cater to the needs of Chinese consumers, the BMW Brilliance 1 Series focuses on the sedan design, based on the UKL front-wheel drive platform, and is a proper special car for China.

The "fake BMW" also "lives up to expectations", with an average monthly sales of almost always at the level of three or four thousand units, and from 2022 onwards, it has fallen all the way to the level of 1,000 units. Although compared with some marginal brands, BMW Brilliance 1 Series is already good, but for BMW, BMW Brilliance 1 Series has obviously become a burden, coupled with the impact of electrification, life is even more difficult, so the discontinuation of BMW Brilliance 1 Series is also the general trend. Its successor is rumored to be the all-new 2 Series 4-door coupe, which will be launched in 2025, but by then, the Chinese car market will be different, so the road to the new 2 Series will definitely be more difficult.

Mercedes CLS

Mercedes-Benz CLS is a four-door coupe model launched by Mercedes-Benz in 2004, the appearance is stunning, highly recognizable, and the outside world has also given the highest evaluation of Mercedes-Benz CLS, saying that Mercedes-Benz CLS is the most beautiful four-door coupe. Since then, the pinnacle of the coupe has been born, and even though there have been many followers and imitators, such as Audi and BMW, four-door coupes have been launched to compete with them, but people will still prefer the Mercedes-Benz CLS.

However, it is a pity that Mercedes-Benz CLS in the follow-up facelift, the design is becoming more and more distinctive, the market presence is getting lower and lower, coupled with the acceleration of the electrification of the global automotive industry, the impact on fuel vehicles is getting bigger and bigger, therefore, the enterprising Mercedes-Benz CLS also has to become a victim of Mercedes-Benz's future development strategy, and its life span is only 19 years.

Audi TT

Looking at the current situation of the car market in recent years, the life of traditional fuel vehicles is very difficult, not to mention niche models like Audi TT.

In fact, in terms of appearance, power, handling and price, Audi TT has very obvious advantages in its class, but in the new energy era, these advantages of Audi TT have long been wiped out, that there is no product advantage, and it is particularly niche can not be exchanged for profits, Audi based on long-term considerations, Audi TT can only be optimized. Therefore, in November 2023, the Audi TT will officially stop production, and after 25 years of 3 generations of changes, the total historical production has also been fixed at 662762 units, and it is rumored that Audi may launch a pure electric model with a similar positioning, but it is likely that it will not continue to use the name Audi TT.

Chevrolet Camaro

For the American muscle car, the Chevrolet Camaro, the role of "Bumblebee" in "Transformers" has made it famous in the Chinese market and has become the dream car of many post-80s and 90s.

Since the launch of the first generation in 1966, Chevrolet Camaro has a history of 57 years, of which the fifth-generation Camaro is the most influential, because the "Bumblebee" is from this generation of models, and domestic fans also have a further understanding of Camaro from this generation. But the applause is not popular, Chevrolet Camaro sales have not been good, so during the 2002~2009 period, Camaro was once discontinued, but in 2016, Camaro seems to want to take advantage of the popularity of "Transformers" to harvest some customers, but the sky is not fulfilled, and sales still have not improved. At the same time, emission regulations are becoming more and more stringent, and the days of large-displacement American muscle cars are becoming more and more tight, and at the same time, electric vehicles are menacing. Multiple factors have led to the gradual shrinking of its market, so it is inevitable to stop production again. With the last Chevrolet Camaro rolling off the assembly line at the Lansing plant in Michigan, this classic American muscle car once again bid farewell to the stage of history.

Chrysler 300C

If you want to ask which car is the most bluffing, it must be Chrysler 300C, although the price is only more than 300,000, but the overall aura and luxury texture are not lost to Rolls-Royce, so that in just a few years after it entered the Chinese market, it has been under the name of "Rolls-Royce Ping", and has been sought after by many pseudo-riches.

However, in general, the product competitiveness of Chrysler 300C is very weak, and with the passage of time, the weak product power makes the market acceptance of Chrysler 300C lower and lower, and it has almost disappeared from the market. Therefore, in December 2023, as the last Chrysler 300C rolled off the production line at the Brampton plant in Canada, this 68-year-old "pseudo-luxury car" also bid farewell to the car world.

Uncle Che concluded

For many people, the dream car has not been owned and discontinued, there will be a little regret, but it is just a pity, science and technology are advancing, society is developing, backward products will eventually be eliminated, and no brand can stand tall in the torrent of the times. In order to achieve the eternal transmission of classics, we must keep up with the pace of development of the times, once the product power can not keep up, consumers will directly abandon it, will not give car companies any respite. And in the face of the passing of those classic models, we can only pay tribute.