November 1, 2022

Which cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs won’t be making an encore next year? We have the list. But first, some observations. The dawn of the electric age arrives with the sunset of the sedan. Though unrelated, consumers continue to migrate to crossover SUVs and have begun adopting electric powertrains in greater numbers. It’s an American paradox to want cleaner, more efficient cars but not sacrifice the size and flexibility of larger, heavier, less efficient crossover SUVs. Automakers oblige, and the sacrifices for 2023 include everything from small underperforming cars to the beloved V-8 muscle car.

Crossovers and SUVs accounted for more than 55% of new car sales through June 2022, while cars accounted for about 21%, according to statista.com. That continues a trend started long before the introduction of electric vehicles.

It’s taken 12 years since the first mainstream electric vehicle went on sale—the Nissan Leaf— for many analysts and executives to declare that the market has transitioned from early adoption to mass adoption. It’s been observed that sales of electric vehicles through the first half of 2022 reached record highs, and despite the industry having a down year, electrified vehicles (including plug-in hybrids and hybrids) accounted for 5.6% of new car sales, more than double that of 2021, according to Cox Automotive.

Most automakers have announced plans to end the development of cars powered by internal-combustion engines, and the sacrifices made in the shift to electrification can be seen in this year’s list of cars that will be discontinued between now and the end of 2023. It’s larger than last year’s list of discontinued vehicles.

Contrary to previous reports, the Chevy Trax small crossover will be resurrected and reimagined as a 2024 model that slots between the Trailblazer and Equinox in Chevy’s crossover SUV family. It remains to be seen if the Buick Encore will follow in its, ahem, Trax.

Which cars, trucks, crossovers and SUVs won’t be coming back for an encore next year? We have a couple of lists that might indicate just what to expect/or not.
Among the many cars that won’t be in the offering lineup in the next year or two are a growing bunch of, well, mostly sedans. A sedan lover, this makes me sad but not surprised. Robert Duffer, Senior Editor of The Car Connection, laid out a few in a recent column:

*2022 Acura ILX, entry level compact sedan
*Chevrolet Spark
*Chrysler 300
*Dodge Challenger
*Dodge Charger
*Ford Edge/Lincoln Nautilus
*Ford Transit Connect, cargo van
*Honda Insight Sedan
*HyundaiIoniq (2017 as rival to Prius
*Hyundai Accent; 1990’2
*Hyundai Veloster N (boo)
*Infiniti Q60-six years on the US market
*Mercedes A-Class
*Nissan Maxima, first launched in 1980’s. Eight generations, 2017 last one
*Nissan Rogue Sport, since 2017
*Ram 1500 Ecodiesel