Logo rotaautoservice.com
Category: Auto Tips

The Ten Most Disastrous Cars Of The XXI Century

2024

Table of contents:

The Ten Most Disastrous Cars Of The XXI Century
The Ten Most Disastrous Cars Of The XXI Century
Anonim

For examples, we will not go far and will not even go deep into the past XX century. Cars that did not live up to the hopes of their creators are enough for the present century. We bring to your attention the 10 most egregious facts.

10th PLACE Smart Roadster (2003–2006)

01

Image
Image

At first, this car was not considered a failure at all. On the contrary, its output volumes exceeded the planned plans by half. But soon began the countless warranty reviews that cost Smart, and so was not in the best condition, almost 3, 000 euros per car. Given that the margin on the sports "Roadster", in order to maintain an acceptable price, was laid at only 1%, it soon became clear: you need to sacrifice something so as not to slide into the financial abyss. Without spending money on fine-tuning the model, they decided to simply withdraw it from production.

The number of copies produced - 43, 091

9th PLACE Chevrolet-SSR (2003–2006)

02

Image
Image

The beginning of the 21st century was perhaps the most carefree time for General Motors in recent years. Sometimes crazy projects were introduced into production. The next concept car was enough to collect a standing ovation at the Detroit auto show, as they almost immediately gave it a green light on the conveyor. Pickup SSR is just one of them. Surprising at the exhibition is one thing, but captivating customers is another. And who, tell me, needs a pickup truck with a folding roof, equipped with a Chevrolet-Corvette engine, and even for 42 thousand dollars? Already a year after the start of production in the company’s warehouses, there was such a stock of ready-made SSRs that they could be sold at best in ten months. Therefore, for the next couple of years, the small-series plant in Lansing (Michigan), whose only model was the SSR, worked with frequent interruptions for unloading warehouses. And in 2006, the company was completely closed. General Motors refused the serial exclusive forever.

The number of copies produced is 24, 112

8th PLACE Citroen-C6 (2005–2012)

03

Image
Image

A good example of a company that has left the class of prestigious cars is unlikely to be able to return there. In the European market, where the hegemony of German brands reigns supreme, a strict rule has no exceptions. Having discontinued the big XM in 2000, Citroen again tried its luck in this segment after five long years. Initial plans were optimistic: 20 thousand cars a year. But it soon became clear that the buyers of the expensive Citroen simply died out as a class. Those who remembered XM went to the competition, the rest simply did not perceive the brand as an embodiment of prestige. The result - in seven years, a little more copies of the C6 were released than they had once planned to sell in a year. For comparison: Renault Vel Satis sold three times as much in the same period (despite its more than controversial appearance), but there is nothing to say about the Peugeot 607 - about 200 thousand cars sold.

The number of copies produced is 23, 384

7th PLACE "Lancia Thesis" (2002–2009)

04

Image
Image

Another victim of reckless self-confidence. Creating the Lancia-Thesis business sedan, the Fiat group spared no money. Belief in Italian design (and in God - because the prototype of a model called Dialogos was presented to the Vatican) was great. It would be logical to use the Alfa Romeo-166 platform for the new product, however, the original chassis with multi-link aluminum suspensions was preferred. Investments amounted to 405 million euros, but they were expected to quickly pay back by selling up to 25 thousand cars annually. Alas, the miracle did not happen. More or less large customers were only Italian government agencies and taxi drivers to whom thesis was sold at a great discount. And after the attempt to pass the Chrysler models to Italian failed, apparently, the famous brand with more than 100 years of history will also be a thing of the past.

The number of copies produced is about 16, 000

6th PLACE Renault Avantime (2001–2003)

05

Image
Image

This car also began its journey as a concept car - a star of the 1999 Geneva International Motor Show. But when it became a serial, there were very few people who wanted to try on a model that combines the spaciousness of a compact van with the exclusivity of a coupe. Indeed, there was almost no practical meaning in Avantime: large, spacious, but there were only four separate places in it. The motor in the top version seems to be powerful - V6 for 207 forces, but the handling due to the high body and specific chassis settings did not pull on the sports one. Sluggish sales of Avantime caused difficulties for the Matra company, which it borrowed from Renault in a row to produce an unusual car. The problem was solved by removing it from production. Perhaps, then the sunset of the career of the chief designer of Renault Patrick Le Ceman came. It became obvious that the master was not taking it at all: it certainly didn’t smell of market success in those distant lands.

The number of produced copies is 8557

5th PLACE "Cadillac-BLS" (2005–2009)

06

Image
Image

They say it was the idea of Robert Lutz, a car industry guru who had just moved from Chrysler to General Motors to the position of vice president of global development. The idea seems to be not bad - to use the capacities of the Swedish Saab, which is constantly operating at a loss, to produce some new model based on existing ones. Say, “Cadillac”: because he does not have a small car, created specifically for Europe. And here, Saab will receive additional orders, and Cadillac is a new model cheaply. But, apparently, by that time Lutz already clearly did not understand what the consumer really wanted, and there was too little money allocated for remaking the Saab. As a result, the car looked like a “Cadillac” only from the outside - inside it was the same “Saab 9–3”. Europeans were perplexed: why overpay for the inappropriate pathos of the American brand, when exactly the same, but much more intelligent “Saab” is available for less money?

The number of copies produced - 7356

4th PLACE Akura-ZDX (2009–2013)

07

Image
Image

Speaking about this model, we can recall the catch phrase: "What is allowed to Jupiter, is not allowed to the bull." At Akura, Honda’s luxury division, fiercely envied the success of the BMW X6. The Bavarians were the first to take a chance and, as it turned out, won by introducing a five-door all-terrain luxury coupe on the market. The Japanese decided to follow them, but something did not work out for them. American buyers - namely, they were addressed to the new ZDX model - point blank did not notice the new product. The more traditional MDX cross-platform crossover sold 15 times better. If we talk about a direct competitor - BMW-X6, then even at a much higher price, even in the best years for the ZDX, it bypassed its sales two times. And all because the buyers of Akura are not aggressive by nature: they don’t need either a BMW or a strange ZDX for them. It turns out that the tastes of their customers need to be studied better - then you will not have to be upset due to unsuccessful experiments.

The number of copies produced - 5677

3rd PLACE Lincoln Blackwood (2001–2002)

08

Image
Image

At the turn of 1990–2000, America was embraced by a crazy fashion for pickups, which turned them into an element of urban chic. They immediately began to say that now luxury brands will roll out something pickup-like. The first was the Lincoln, whose Blackwood concept was shown in Detroit a couple of years before and seemed to attract the public. But it quickly became clear that there were not so many people who wanted to buy a black (other colors were not offered) monster in a single version for 52.5 thousand dollars. The initial pickup utility in Blackwood has been reduced to zero. The cargo platform was turned into a luxurious chest with a servo-adjustable lid, trimmed outside in ebony and lined with stainless steel inside. Drive left only the rear. That is, you can only show off on this pickup truck - it was no longer suitable for anything. At the same time, the interior trim was not much different from the usual Ford F-150, on which the Lincoln “face” was simply hung. The outcome is logical - the last cars were sold at a large discount.

The number of produced copies is 3356

2nd PLACE "Saab 9-4X" (2011)

09

Image
Image

The bankruptcy of a Swedish company, which General Motors had abandoned just a year before, put an end to the Saab crossover that had been hatched for several years. The car was born in agony. The first option, based on the Subaru-Tribek, was practically brought to the assembly line, but here the American concern lost its share in the Subaru to the Japanese Toyota. The joint project was frozen in order to reorient it to the Cadillac-SRX platform after some time. Then Saab himself sold it, but the Americans did not refuse to cooperate with its new owner, the Dutch Spiker. The first 9–4X crossovers rolled off the assembly line of the Mexican General Motors factory in the summer of 2011, but a few months later the Saab owners wanted to sell their recent acquisition to the Chinese Youngman group. Fearing that the latest developments will float away to no one knows where, GM stopped licensing the Swedes. As a result, both the new 9–5 sedan and the 9–4X crossover, barely placed on the stream, became the property of history, without even having time to really show themselves on the market.

The number of copies produced - 573

1st PLACE Aston Martin Signet (2011–2013)

Recommended:

New

Pragmatist

FIRMATIC FOR THE PRAGMATIC

Read More
UAZ -452

Through the eyes of the ownerUAZ -452Vladislav KOZKOHaving appeared in 1966, the UAZ-452 from (1985 - 3741) to this day remains almost the only light-duty off-road vehicle in the former Soviet Union. Judge for yourselves: the UAZ-452 is able to overcome snow cover 50 cm thick, move along tank tracks and carry up to 800 kg of cargo

Read More
Editor'S Choice
Best reviews for the week
Popular for the day