Car Models That Disappeared in 2020

A mix of tougher emissions rules, the unstoppable rise of SUVs, and-quite simply-sales falling short of forecasts can all be used to explain why so many car lines reached the end of the road in 2020.

They are the very same forces that lay behind the models that bowed out in 2019. And if that earlier list was already sizeable, the roll call for 2020 is no smaller. The car industry is changing at pace, and that inevitably means the old must make way for the new-closing (far too) many chapters in motoring history.

As usual, the models mentioned here relate mainly to vehicles that were on sale in Portugal and across Europe.

From the smallest to the biggest

This one caught us off guard, as it had only just been unveiled… in 2019. The Skoda Citigo-e IV, the fully electric version of the city car, disappears in 2020 after just one year on sale. Ending that variant also brings the Citigo’s wider run to a close, after its 2011 launch-so what does that mean for its “siblings”, the SEAT Mii and Volkswagen up?

From the tiniest, we jump straight to some of the largest models to leave us in 2020. Production of the S-Class Coupé and S-Class Cabriolet (C117 generation) wrapped up in summer 2020 as the new S-Class (W223) entered production, and they will not be replaced. Why? Not only is demand for coupés and convertibles still shrinking, but the sweeping electrification Mercedes-Benz is undergoing also forces it to drop certain models so that others-especially electric ones-can be developed.

Sales that failed to meet expectations were the main reason Bentley ended production of the Mulsanne, its flagship model launched in 2009. The vast, ultra-luxurious British saloon simply could not match its biggest rival, the Rolls-Royce Phantom. With the Mulsanne’s departure, the long-very long-career of Bentley’s 6,75 l V8 also comes to an end; the first version reached the market in… 1959. For now, the Flying Spur steps in as Bentley’s top model.

As for the four-door Aston Martin Rapide (introduced in 2009), the reason it will not get a successor is tied to the arrival of the Aston Martin DBX, the brand’s first SUV. The model already had a decade behind it, but rather than engineering a new saloon based on the DB11 to replace it, Aston Martin also wanted to pursue the higher return potential of an SUV-and given the difficulties it faced over the last year, achieving that greater return is imperative.

One of Ferrari’s boldest and most divisive creations also reaches the end of its run without a direct replacement. That is, of course, the Ferrari GTC4Lusso (launched in 2016), the true and only shooting brake-and the most family-friendly model ever produced by Maranello. We will have to wait until 2022 to see a kind of successor, and it will take the shape of a… SUV-Ferrari could not resist either. For the moment, it is known as Purosangue!

Say goodbye to these compact family cars too

For Alfa Romeo, 2021 will bring a smaller range focused on the Giulia and Stelvio. That is because we must bid farewell to the veteran Giulietta, the Italian brand’s C-segment representative launched in 2010 and updated several times since. Its strongest year was 2012, when it sold more than 79 thousand units, but age is unforgiving in a segment that is constantly renewed: in 2019 it managed just over 15 thousand units.

It exits without a direct successor, and we will still need to wait until the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022 to meet Alfa Romeo’s next model for the segment: the Tonale. And yes, it is an SUV.

The arrival of a new Citroën C4 also marks the end of the original C4 Cactus. Launched in 2014 as an interesting, distinctive alternative to the SUV track width that was aggressively taking over the market, it was later asked to replace the second, rather bland generation of the C4. The restyling it received toned down its most unusual traits, and now it is replaced… by another crossover, only with more dynamic lines.

Volvo’s V40-the Swedish brand’s entry point-also ends a lengthy run in the segment, having debuted in 2012. What will replace it? We do not yet know; Volvo continues to keep things under wraps, even though a new model for the segment has been promised. At first we assumed it would be the production version of the 40.2 concept, but that ultimately became the Polestar 2.

It is also the end of the Q30 and QX30 from Infiniti. Hopes were high in 2015 when the two models-virtually indistinguishable from one another-arrived with the aim of cementing Nissan’s premium brand in Europe. That is not how it played out… Sales were little more than token for the pair, both derived from the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and with their demise Infiniti also bids farewell to Europe as a brand.

Finally, in 2020 the e-Golf (generation 7), the electric version of the well-known model, also stops being built-and generation 8 will not get an electric variant. Production actually ran on longer than planned, both to meet demand that kept growing and to support the ID.3 launch while Volkswagen worked through the teething issues of its first dedicated electric model.

Anything else?

Yes. The list of models disappearing in 2020 goes on. In the case of the Lexus IS, this is not the end of production because it has been refreshed recently, but it is an update that will not reach us-the IS will no longer be sold in Europe. Low sales explain the decision-a pattern also seen with other “classic” saloons-set against the rising demand for crossovers and SUVs.

The BMW 3 Series GT drops out of the catalogue with no successor. You could call it a crossover-the possible mix between a fastback and an MPV-that never truly persuaded buyers, despite strong arguments on space and practicality. Interestingly, the larger 6GT remains on sale, thanks to its performance in markets such as China.

Staying with family-focused vehicles, the SEAT Alhambra-yes, the one built in Palmela at Autoeuropa-also reaches the end of its life after the current generation spent 10 years in production. The Volkswagen Sharan’s farewell is unlikely to be far behind. The explanation is straightforward, as there is now a seven-seat SUV in the range: the Tarraco.

Switching formats, we also have to say goodbye to the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, which turned out to be a commercial flop, even though pick-up sales in Europe have grown in recent years. The Nissan Navara-based pick-up leaves the market after a modest three-year lifespan (launched in 2017), with sales never matching the star brand’s expectations.

Last, but not least, we see the curtain fall on a pair of more performance-oriented models. The futuristic BMW i8, introduced in 2014 as a coupé and in 2018 as a roadster, was the brand’s first plug-in hybrid and ends production after 20 500 units were built.

The end of the Peugeot 308 GTI is also notable, because this hot hatch signals the end of the historic GTI badge at the French brand-going forward, a new acronym will appear: PSE, which will identify Peugeot’s sportier versions.

A final note for the Italians Abarth 124 Spider and Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. Although these models ended in Europe back in 2019, they continued to be sold during 2020 in other parts of the world. Now, however, it truly is the definitive end for both.