2022 and 2023 are the years when the electric trend explodes. But that also means the end for many famous combustion models. And even some electric cars get it. FOCUS Online shows which cars are disappearing.
“Transformation” is one of the most commonly used terms to describe major changes in industry, business and society. Sometimes the transformation is more wishful thinking, for example in the case of the energy transition – in reality Germany is developing back into a coal nation in order to compensate for the current doldrums in wind power and the loss of gas supplies. But the term actually applies to the car industry: At least in the EU, the phasing out of the combustion engine is a done deal, in a few years most car manufacturers will only be offering electric cars.
Discontinued models are nothing unusual in the automotive industry, but in the course of the transition to new drive platforms, many models in particular are disappearing from the scene forever. FOCUS Online shows the best-known models that have already left us or will soon do so.
This will particularly hurt sports car fans: next to the TT, the most emotional car from Ingolstadt says goodbye to the Hall of Fame of the Quattro legends with a fat 620 hp ten-cylinder bang (whereby the last model with rear-wheel drive shaves the asphalt). After all: According to insider information, Audi is planning a new all-wheel drive super sports car, which will then have an electric drive (read more about this here).
And again, Audi fans have to be very strong. The TT did not survive Audi’s transformation into a purely electric brand either. The cult ball started in 1998, became a design icon and, above all, a sports car legend with its five-cylinder turbo petrol engine. With the “Iconic Edition” the car rolls off the stage – you can find a driving report here. The last Audi TT will be delivered in 2023.
Sometimes it even hits an electric car: production of the unmistakable city electric car was already ended in the summer of 2022. With a quarter of a million models sold, the car was not a mega seller for BMW, but it was a great success and paved the way for the new Munich electric world, which is now continuing with models such as the i4, the iX and the iX1.
Germany’s cheapest high-roof station wagon from Dacia is also history. The car cost less than 10,000 euros when it was launched. Many families with tight wallets would probably wish for such a car today. The quasi-successor Dacia Jogger is much smarter and more modern, but also considerably more expensive at at least 16,800 euros.
At Ford, no wheel is left unturned in the course of the electric switchover. So not only the three-door Fiesta dies, but also the Passat opponent Mondeo. However, this only applies to Europe, because in China at least the sedan will continue to roll off the assembly line for the time being. And the Golf opponent Focus could also be replaced by a new electric model in Europe in the medium term.
The electric trend and the popularity of SUVs across all drive types have dealt the death knell to the classic family van. The last Ford vans will roll off the assembly line in Europe in early 2023. They will be replaced by SUVs and new electric family carriages.
You never go that far – and that’s how the name Ioniq lives on at Hyundai (in the Stromers Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6). But there is no longer any room for the solid, but always somewhat boring Ioniq, which was available as an electric and hybrid version.
The Italian brute athlete had a damn good and, above all, damn loud time, but that is now coming to an end. Before Lamborghini fans call the nearest Ferrari dealer out of frustration: there is a successor! To the surprise of many, it even retains its twelve-cylinder engine – without supercharging. Read more about it here .
Long before 2035, the EU’s policy of banning combustion engines and constantly changing exhaust gas limits will ban many cars for which it is not worth adapting to the special EU standards.
Pickup fans in particular soon have little choice, more and more models are disappearing from Europe or at least from Germany. After the Mercedes X-Class, Renault Alaskan, Nissan Navara and Fiat Fullback, the Mitsubishi L200 was the last to be hit.
At Opel, too, everything is based on battery-powered vehicles. Astra, Mokka and Corsa will soon only be electric, new models like the E-Manta should cause a sensation. However, there is another reason why the Insignia will get under the wheels at the end of 2022 – it is the last model in the current program that was created on a platform from the former Opel parent General Motors. Now the Opel innovations are based on common platforms with the French PSA group.
Smart is now a purely electric brand. A new SUV should secure the future. However, there is no longer a niche for the four-door Forfour. And bye.
Another van alongside the Ford Galaxy and S-Max already bit the dust in 2022: there is no light at the end of the tunnel for either Volkswagen’s extended family classic Sharan or its sister model, the Seat Alhambra. The vans should then replace SUV models such as the Seat Tarraco or the VW Bus or its electric version ID Buzz.
For the time being, the Passat is only half affected, because the popular station wagon will be passed on, even in a new generation together with the Skoda Superb (read more about this here). In the future, the role of the Passat in Germany will be taken over by the electric ID7 Tourer when all new petrol, diesel and hybrid models are banned by EU policy by 2035 at the latest.
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