The auto business is ending 2014 on a roll, with sales volumes expected to once again reach pre-recession rates. Manufacturers are poised to deliver an estimated 16.8 million new cars and trucks to consumers in the U.S. this year, according to Kelley Blue Book, which would be the most recorded since 2006 and within reach of the industry's all-time high of 17.8 million units in 2000.
Not to be a Grinch about it, but while the proverbial rising tide is said to lift all boats, some models continue to take on water, being chronically overlooked and left to languish in dealers' inventories with sales sputtering like an outboard motor running on fumes.
A few are vehicles that haven't been redesigned in so long they've long been eclipsed by more recently introduced or redesigned models, or are stuck at the bottom of a dwindling or limited segment. Other more recently introduced models have either yet to find their stride in a highly competitive marketplace, or are just plain duds that resulted from an automaker's misread of fast-changing trends and consumer tastes.
We scoured the most recent new-vehicle sales reports from major automakers to isolate what, by our measurements, are the dregs of the automotive business for 2014. For the most part we gave a pass to models that historically sell in limited numbers, as well as those which recently debuted or were discontinued this fall as part of the 2015 model-year changeover. We're featuring them below, presented in no particular order, and in the accompanying slide show.
On the plus side, any of these cellar dwellers should be offered with deep discounts as dealers attempt to clear their excess inventories in year-end sales promotions, with the sweetest new-car deals usually forthcoming on December 31. Happy New Year, everybody.
1. Cadillac ELR: With the all-electric Tesla Model S luxury sedan being the undisputed darling of the automotive industry the last two years, Cadillac hoped this sleeker and more opulent two-door modification of the Chevrolet Volt "extended range EV" would turn heads and bring buyers into dealers' showrooms. Analysts never predicted the ELR to be a high-volume model, but at a seemingly achievable 2,500-3,000 annual units would be a high-tech halo car for the division. Critics and consumers alike remain nonplussed, however, particularly at its hefty $75,000 starting price. And that's Model S money for what is arguably more of a plug-in hybrid – and one with only two doors at that – than a full electric car.
2. Acura RLX: This is another case of high hopes fallen far short. The full-size flagship RLX luxury sedan debuted for the 2014 model year to replace the underperforming RL. Unfortunately, while a nice enough ride in its own right and loaded with technology, the RLX still lags the competition in terms of its conservative styling and lack of a V8 engine. Acura recently added a Sport Hybrid version to the line that leverages the car's 3.5-liter V6 engine with dual electric motor/generators to produce V8-like power, but sales continue their downward spiral. At just 3,180 units delivered through November, deliveries are down by 28.4 percent on the year.
In Pictures: 12 Biggest New-Car Busts For 2014.
3. Chevrolet SS: Enthusiasts had long clamored for Chevy to bring back a large rear-drive sedan as its corporate flagship, and it answered for the 2014 model year in a big way with the aggressively styled and sporty SS. Built by General Motors' Holden subsidiary in Australia (it's also sold in a lesser version as a police vehicle), the $46,000 SS packs a punch with the prior-generation Corvette's 6.2-liter V8 engine. Unfortunately, it's found just 2,386 buyers thus far in 2014, and is Chevy's worst selling model.
4. Dodge SRT Viper: The good news is that a whopping $12,500 price reduction helped jump-start sales of the ferocious 640-horsepower Dodge SRT Viper sports car with a 25 percent increase over the first 11 months in 2014. The bad news is that even with that big a boost, sales totaled just 671 units. Expect this number to remain anorexic, particularly as Dodge dealers begin to take delivery of the far less costly SRT Hellcat versions of the Challenger coupe and Charger sedan with a raging 707 horsepower under their long hoods. If FCA decided to ditch the Viper in a money-saving measure, aside from a few thousand hard-core enthusiasts, whiny automotive journalists and perhaps some acne-speckled teenage boys, few others would likely lament its demise.
5. Mitsubishi i-MiEV: Granted, the market for electric cars is still limited, with several models sold only in California and perhaps a few other states, but even at that the small and curiously egg-shaped (not to mention unfortunately named) i-MiEV has been a colossal failure, selling just 184 units this year through the end of November. And not only is the car available in all 50 states, it's the most affordable battery-powered vehicle this side of a golf cart, at a surprisingly affordable $15,495 after deducting the $7,500 one-time federal income tax credit given to EV buyers. By comparison, Nissan found 27,098 buyers for its electric Leaf during the same period; even the far costlier two-door Cadillac ELR, cited at the top of our list of laggards, outsells the i-MiEV by five-fold.
6. Scion iQ: Otherwise intelligent minds apparently overstated the popularity of the micro-car market in the U.S., with sales of the oddly cast Scion iQ foundering. Of note, Aston Martin wasn't much smarter by briefly offering a failed ultra-premium version of the iQ in Europe. After four years on the market, Scion dealers are finding woefully few urban hipsters to support this oddball entry, especially with gas prices having plummeted; sales through November reached just 1,953 units, which is a 49 percent drop over 2013's still dismal results. The iQ is the lowest volume model in the combined Toyota/Lexus/Scion roster.
7. Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT: It's tough to make an ongoing business case for the peculiarly boxy seven-passenger Flex crossover SUV with 2014 sales through November falling by 6.5 percent over their already lackluster 2013 numbers at 22,036 units. Lingering far too long without a major redesign, buyers are instead choosing the newer and more efficiently packaged Ford Explorer, which sold 172,707 units for a 6.2 increase on the year. Even worse, Lincoln dealers could find just 4,444 takers (17.9 percent fewer than during the same period in 2013) for the Flex's upscale equivalent (and Ford Motor Company's lowest-volume mainstream model), the MKT.
8. Lincoln MKS: Lincoln isn't having much better luck with what is otherwise its flagship full-size sedan, the MKS, registering only 7,233 sales over the first 11 months of the year. Sales are down here by 25.6 percent compared to the same period in 2013. Not particularly credible or competitive in the luxury segment, this remains little more than a restyled version of the fleet-favorite Ford Taurus with a few added features.
9. Hyundai Azera. Far outsold in Hyundai's expansive lineup by the Genesis, the stylish midsize Azera near-luxury sedan seems to get lost in dealers' showrooms. Sales were down 35 percent through the end of November at 6,535 units. Kia sells more units of its equivalent model, the Cadenza. The farther upscale Hyundai Equus sedan sold fewer than half as many units as the Azera, but at twice its price could well be the more profitable model. Meanwhile, the underachieving Lincoln MKS cited above outsells both models.
In Pictures: 12 Biggest New-Car Busts For 2014.
10. BMW Z4: Even with the economy roaring back to health and new-car sales soaring, the market for so-called "reward cars" like the small and racy BMW Z4 roadster is contracting. At 1,983 units delivered to buyers over the first 11 months of the year, Z4 sales are down by 13.4 percent, and pale in comparison to the costlier two-seat Porsche Boxster/Cayman convertible/coupe duo with combined sales of 6,950 units.
11. MINI Coupe/Roadster/Paceman: The MINI line, which in recent years has been sliced and diced into more segments than a Veg-O-Matic could muster, seems to be wearing thin, especially in the face of competition from Fiat and other recently introduced upscale small cars and crossovers. The brand's sales are down by 17.4 percent through the first 11 months of 2014, with only the SUV-like Countryman showing an increase. The real dogs in the pound are the oddball Coupe, Roadster and Paceman, with 2014 sales at just 905, 1,342 and 1,953, respectively. MINI has already announced it would soon be culling the dead weight from its model line and we'd start here.
12. Volvo S80: Sales of Volvo's top sedan dropped by 4.3 percent over the first 11 months of 2014, and account for just 1,674 units. Though its been updated over the years with assorted styling and engineering tweaks, the stodgy – yet safety minded – S80 has long been in need of a full reinvention. Offering a choice of turbo-four and six-cylinder engines, it's long been eclipsed by any number of sleeker and more powerful large luxury cars. At this point the S80's primary competition is likely to be late-model used versions of…the S80.
In Pictures: 12 Biggest New-Car Busts For 2014.
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Source : http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2014/12/19/biggest-new-car-busts-of-2014/
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