These illustrious missing models | The Press

A bit like 2022, the year 2023 will have been a year of electric transition marked by numerous declarations of intent from major players in the automobile industry. This desire for electrification has forced the sacrifice of many notable models in parallel with the decline of the car in favor of SUVs and crossovers unveiled ad nauseam. Here are the notable models that have left our market or will soon do so.

Audi R8

Audi’s spearhead, the R8 helped to upgrade the image of the brand with its exoticism. The mid-rear engine supercar was presented for the very first time at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show and will have been produced from 2006 to 2023. Its magnificent V8 and V10 engines will have supported its balanced temperament with charm and passion.

Audi TT

Born in 1998, the Audi TT was a divisive car for some. Despite its remarkable stylistic exercise, its platform shared with more plebeian models from the Volkswagen group raised questions that were not always justified. Its latest vintage, launched in 2014, has partly reinvigorated this image with a more chiselled design and a well-retouched chassis. Unfortunately, the coupe was abandoned in 2023 without having any descendants.

Chevrolet Bolt EV

The first generation of the Chevrolet Bolt saw its production end a few weeks ago. An agent of democratization in the electric sector, it will have had the merit of combining good autonomy, a reduced format and a competitive starting price. Production of its second generation will begin in 2025. It will be equipped with the Ultium battery architecture.

Chevrolet Camaro

For some, the Camaro will always have a bitter taste due to the closure of the Boisbriand plant which assembled it until August 2002. The pony car, which made its first spin in 1966, has never been as eloquent as it is today thanks to its prodigious platform. The departure of its sixth generation leaves a void which could possibly be filled by an electric model bearing its name.

Chrysler 300/Dodge Challenger/Dodge Charger

The trio of muscle cars has given us a lot of sensations since 2005, the year of the significant return of the Dodge Charger. Its mechanics supercharged by compressors full of character had few equals in addition to their unapologetic neo-retro designs. The Charger and Challenger should survive with smaller engines and electric liveries. To be continued.

Kia Rio

After its cousin, the Hyundai Accent, it is now the Rio’s turn to leave our market. A competent and entertaining subcompact, it is the victim of the wave of SUVs that has been sweeping for years and which is inflating the prices of new vehicles.

Jeep Cherokee

Relaunched in 2013, the latest generation of the Cherokee marked a change in direction for the model towards a more crossover than SUV positioning, thanks to its original Fiat chassis. This Cherokee has also been affected by a steady decline in popularity in recent years. The future of his illustrious name remains uncertain, while no successor has yet been named.

Kia Stinger

The Stinger was to be an emancipatory quest for the Korean manufacturer by standing out from Hyundai with a sports sedan targeting German brands. If the execution was good, especially for the asking price, the model marketed in Canada from 2017 was born in a difficult context for traditional cars, which partly explains its weak sales.

Nissan Maxima

The one that Nissan affectionately called its “four-door sports car” bowed out in 2023 without fanfare. An undeserved fate for a model that allowed Datsun to enter the key North American segment of large sedans in the early 1980s. The last Maxima was, unfortunately, only a parenthesis with its CVT and its aging accelerated by a lack of development.