If the year 2018 was marked by many car innovations, it also meant the end of many others . We had to say goodbye to so many cars, with this article highlighting not those that have been replaced by others, but those that will have no replacements or that disappear prematurely.
Why for your order? Find out the reasons in the article below.
WLTP
The WLTP caused problems for multiple manufacturers to obtain certification on time — in some cases there were real “bottlenecks”, which resulted in the suspension of production, and in some the decision was even more drastic, with an early end (and not only) career for some models.
But why do away with these models? The investment to recertify these models is high, so it would just be a waste of resources. The main reason for not doing so is the emergence of new generations in the short/medium term, but there are more reasons for commercial careers not to extend into 2019. Swipe at the gallery:
MiTo was already 10 years on the market, sales were minimal, and there was no successor planned. The entry of the WLTP was the final blow.
Diesel
In addition to the WLTP, the drop in Diesel sales is also leaving its mark, with many models losing this type of engine after an upgrade or replacement. Virtually all brands have already announced their plans to progressively abandon Diesel engines, but this year we've already seen a brand abandoning it for good: the Porsche.
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After rumors earlier in the year, official confirmation emerged in September — no more Porsche with diesel engines . In its place only hybrids, which have proved to be an unexpected success for the German brand.
Bentley also announced the end of the Bentayga Diesel in Europe, its first Diesel model, after its introduction at the end of 2016. The reason? The environment — legislative and social — is becoming less and less favorable to Diesel. However, Bentayga Diesel will continue to be sold in some markets outside the “Old Continent”.
three-door bodywork
Another trend in the market is the end of three-door bodywork. If in most cases, the emergence of a new generation of a particular model means the end of that bodywork, in the case of SEAT Leon and SEAT Mii , the Spanish brand did not even wait for the successors, with the three-door bodywork to be eliminated from the catalog later this year.
And remember the Opel Astra GTC? The Astra K, the current generation, does not have a three-door variant, so Opel kept the previous generation Astra GTC (Astra J) in production until this year. The generation J of the Astra, however, will only die definitively in 2019, with the end of the Opel Cascada.
Read more about what happened in the automotive world in 2018:
- 2018 was like that. The news that “stopped” the automotive world
- 2018 was like that. Electric, sports and even SUV. The cars that stood out
- 2018 was like that. Are we closer to the car of the future?
- 2018 was like that. Can we repeat that? The 9 cars that marked us
2018 was like this... In the last week of the year, time for reflection. We remember the events, cars, technologies and experiences that marked the year in an effervescent car industry.