Cars That Won’t Be Returning for 2016

If there’s anything constant in the new car business it’s change. New cars are released or redesigned like clockwork every four-to-eight years, with modest mid-cycle refreshes coming once or twice in the meantime to keep a model line fresh and shoppers interested. But not all vehicles are regenerated once they’ve reached the end of their respective lifecycles. A few vehicle lines are discontinued at the end of each model year, usually because of a lack of buyer interest and/or changing consumer tastes. Sometimes a vehicle is dropped altogether, while in other cases it’s essentially redesigned and renamed to give the line a second chance, especially if the prior version was plagued by poor reviews and/or dubious performance or reliability issues. And some models, like overworked executives, simply take a break. For example, the subcompact Mitsubishi Mirage and the midsize Infiniti Q60 luxury sports coupe/convertible will be taking 2016 off, ostensibly to give dealers an extended chance to sell down their existing inventories, but are scheduled to return for 2017 as fully redesigned models. Here’s a quick look at 10 cars and trucks that will be noticeably - or not, as the case may be - absent from their respective automakers’ lineups for 2016: • Chevrolet SS. Enthusiasts originally clamored for General Motors to bring this large and sporty rear-drive sedan to the U.S. from Australia, courtesy of GM’s Holden division. While it was arguably the best model on a Chevy dealer’s lot next to the Corvette, it found few takers, especially at a sticker price that started near $47,000. • Honda Crosstour. This oddly styled fastback wagon-like version of the popular Honda Accord never resonated with U.S. buyers, who instead preferred the more practical and mainstream-looking Pilot crossover SUV. • Infiniti Q40. The compact Q40 luxury sedan is saying “sayonara” for 2016, and will be replaced in late spring/early summer next year by a new entry-level model, the Q30 crossover. • Jaguar XK. Like the famed XKE that came before it, this large and seductively stylish XK coupe/convertible speeds off into automotive history this fall, and its sales will likely be absorbed by Jaguar’s F-Type line of closed and open-roof sports cars. • Land Rover LR2. This compact luxury SUV is succeeded by a new model, named the Discovery Sport. It’s longer and wider than the outgoing LR2, and for the first time offers a third-row seat to attract young families. • MINI Cooper Coupe and Roadster. MINI sliced and diced its model lineup a bit too thinly in recent years, and now it’s winnowing out the underachievers, starting with the oddly cast two-seat Coupe and Roadster. • Nissan Xterra. This rough-and-tumble truck-based SUV ends its 15-year run after more than 750,000 units sold. While it originally enjoyed success as an affordable off-roader, consumers are now instead choosing crossover SUVs for their more car-like driving dynamics. • Scion iQ. As if an answer to a question nobody asked, few shoppers ever sought out this eccentric-looking microcar. It’s hard to believe that exotic automaker Aston Martin actually sold a luxury-dressed version of the iQ for a brief period under its own brand name as the Cygnet. • Scion xB. One of the original Scion models that dates back to the 2004 model year, this boxy-looking compact wagon is supplanted by the new-for-2016 iM four-door hatchback, which is essentially a latter-day version of the discontinued Toyota Matrix. • Toyota Venza. Though more mainstream looking than the Honda Crosstour, this five-passenger midsize wagon rendition of the Toyota Camry never sold anywhere nearly as well as the line’s crossover SUV equivalent, the Highlander.