27 Cars We Lost in 2021

2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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2021 Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

The End of the Road

Building cars is a tough game. There’s no consolation prize for models that don’t carry their weight in sales. Consequently, production for dozens of vehicles ends each year — and this year that includes storied nameplates such as the Toyota Land Cruiser and Volkswagen Golf. As models come and go — and sometimes return — savvy shoppers may be able to take advantage of the situation. In some cases, dealers are offering incentives to liquidate the remaining stock of retired vehicles. Here’s a rundown of the cars you won’t be seeing on lots in the coming year.


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BMW 2-series
DarthArt/istockphoto
2021 BMW i3
BMW Group

BMW i3

An EV pioneer, the i3 “was one of the first mainstream electric vehicles to hit the market, way back in 2014,” says Edmunds.com. But newer EVs were able to offer “superior range, performance, and utility.” Autoweek says BMW was expected to keep the model around a bit longer, “but priorities have changed” and the brand is concentrating its efforts on other electric models.


Related: The Most Popular Used Electric Vehicles of 2021

2016 BMW M2
BMW Group
2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
FCA US LLC.

Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat

If there’s such a thing as a muscle SUV, this is it with its 710-horsepower supercharged 6.1-liter V-8 — and an EPA-estimated 13 mpg. Car and Driver says the demise of the Hellcat will leave the 475-horsepower V-8 Durango as “the most powerful entry in the three-row SUV segment for the 2022 model year.”

2020 Ford F-150 Raptor
shaunl/istockphoto

Ford F-150 Diesel

Fans of the automaker’s popular pickup line are losing the option of the Power Stroke V-6 diesel engine. A Ford representative tells Car and Driver it’s fallen out of favor with customers who “overwhelmingly” prefer the EcoBoost V-6 gas option, which actually produces more horsepower.


Related: Things You Didn't Know About the Ford F-150

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT
FCA US LLC.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

Here’s a tricky one. When Jeep released information on its revamped 2022 Grand Cherokee line, the SRT (which stands for Street and Racing Technology) was notably missing, J.D. Power says. But the agency hesitates to say its demise is official — despite also noting that the group that developed the model was disbanded this year. Car and Driver counts it as a goner.


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2021 Honda Clarity
American Honda Motor Co., In

Honda Clarity

The fuel cell and plug-in hybrid versions of this car join the pure EV version in retirement, closing the book on what KBB.com called “another significant step for Honda into the fuel cell and EV market.”


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Hyundai Ioniq
Hyundai Motor America
2021 Hyundai Veloster N
Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Veloster

The 275-horsepower Veloster N will be the only version of this model on the lots in 2022. The other iterations of what KBB.com called “a fun and funky entry-level sports coupe” are no more. The Veloster has been around since the 2012 model year.


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2015 Kia Sedona
2015 Kia Sedona by Dave Pinter (CC BY-NC-ND)

Kia Sedona

After 20 years of battling Chrysler, Honda, and Toyota in the minivan market, Kia is throwing in the towel, J.D. Power says. The Sedona will transition to a multipurpose vehicle called the Carnival.


Related: The Best, Worst, and Weirdest Minivans of All Time

2020 Lotus Evora GT
Lotus Cars

Lotus Evora GT

If you have a cool $100,000 and change you don’t know what to do with, you can still find one of these 416-horsepower rockets in the United States. But 2021 marks the final year of the nameplate, says Car and Driver, though a similar model — the Emira — is due soon.


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2019 Mazda CX-3
Mazda North American Operations

Mazda CX-3

The slightly larger CX-30 will replace this model in Mazda’s lineup of crossovers. KBB.com calls the newer version “a better vehicle wrapped in a slightly larger package.”


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White Car Mazda 6 parket at countryside asphalt road
kurmyshov/istockphoto

Mazda 6

Mazda is retiring this model after nearly 20 years in America. Sales have slipped — “despite it being one of the best driving cars in the midsize sedan class,” says KBB.com — partly because of the rise in crossover SUVs in recent years.


Related: Questions to Ask Before Buying a Used Car

McLaren Elva
McLaren Automotive Limited

McLaren Elva

This 804-horsepower sports car with no roof or windshield — it resembles something you might see flying down a Hot Wheels track as opposed to a street-legal vehicle — was always going to be a one-and-done model, with only 399 units scheduled for production, Car and Driver says. Still, pretty cool.

Mercedes-AMG A35
Daimler AG

Mercedes-AMG A35

The second model year of this upgraded A-class compact sedan that housed a buff 302-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine was the last, Car and Driver says. The magazine’s test driver clocked it at 12.9 seconds in the quarter-mile at 109 mph. Not too shabby.


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Mercedes-AMG CLS53
MOTOR DISTRIBUTORS LIMITED

Mercedes-AMG CLS53

Dropping this model after five years is something akin to thinning the herd, Car and Driver says, as the manufacturer already sells a number of six-cylinder midsize models. Other models that share the powertrain and platform remain on the market.


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Mercedes-AMG GT coupe sports car
Sjoerd van der Wal/istockphoto

Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe and Roadster

Car and Driver says newer models such as a four-door GT sedan and redesigned SL-class convertible have “overshadowed” the performance-oriented two-door GT and its convertible roadster version. The publication expects the car to reemerge in Mercedes’ lineup at some point.


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Mercedes-Benz S-Class S65 AMG Coupe
Sjo/istockphoto

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet

Mercedes made the decision to ax the two-door coupe and convertible (cabriolet) versions of its flagship sedan back in 2020, says Road and Track, in what Mercedes CEO Markus Schaefer said was a move “to reduce complexity” amid the automaker’s shift to more electric vehicles.


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Nissan NV
Nissan USA

Nissan NV

The automaker has been saying that 2021 would be the last model year for its commercial vans, and it’s held firm. J.D. Power says production of the compact NV 200, standard cargo van, and 12-seat passenger van ended this summer.


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A white Polestar 1 hybrid car at display at Polestar Space Oslo..
Trygve Finkelsen/istockphoto

Polestar 1

The first model from Volvo’s electrified performance brand was always intended for limited production, Car and Driver says. The precursor of the all-electric Polestar 2 launched last year, and the Polestar 3, an “aerodynamic performance electric SUV,” is in the works for 2023.

2021 Porsche Macan
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG.

Porsche Macan Turbo

This compact crossover “excels in style, performance, and interior quality,” but the 2022 iteration will drop the “Turbo” name and won’t be offering a 3.0-liter turbo V-6 engine, KBB.com says. That being said, this is more of a technicality; the remaining trim versions of this model all offer a turbocharged engine.


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Rolls-Royce Dawn in the car showroom
Tramino/istockphoto

Rolls-Royce Dawn

The departure of the convertible version of the Wraith — as well as the Wraith itself — will leave Rolls-Royce with only four-door “British brutes” in the U.S. market, J.D. Power notes.


Related: Stunning Rolls-Royce Models (and 2 Duds)

Rolls-Royce Wraith
DarthArt/istockphoto

Rolls-Royce Wraith

Based on the carmaker’s older Ghost sedan, this model is being dropped following the four-door Ghost’s redesign. Car and Driver cites the Spectre as the Wraith’s likely replacement when it debuts in 2023.


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Subaru WRX STI 2017 Test Drive Day
teddyleung/istockphoto

Subaru WRX STI

When the automaker unveiled a redesign of the WRX for the 2022 model year, it came without an STI version, Car and Driver says. But the publication expects to see the moniker return, maybe as soon as the 2023 model year.

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2021 Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Land Cruiser

“This one hurts a little,” says Kelley Blue Book, calling the Land Cruiser “an icon and one of the most desirable used SUVs.” Hint: Don’t look for incentives on this model. Not only do these hold their resale value, but some newer used models are going for more than their original sticker price, says KBB.com.


Related: The Surprising History of the Toyota Land Cruiser

2020 Volvo V90
Volvo Cars

Volvo V60 and V90

Volvo has stopped production of these two (dare we say the words) station wagons — the full-size V90 and the smaller V60 with its 240-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. KBB.com says the V90 “was every bit the anti-SUV, which these days is kind of a cool statement to make.”


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Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR 2019
Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR 2019 by Kārlis Dambrāns (CC BY)

Volkswagen Golf and e-Golf

KBB.com says sales of the standard Golf model have dwindled recently, setting the table for its retirement. But the “spunky” GTI version and the “high-performance” Golf R will continue to stick around.


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