These Cars' Cancellations Left The Biggest Holes In The U.S. Market

A couple of days ago, our very own Collin Woodard asked you folks what car cancellation left the biggest hole in the U.S. market. He claimed Hyundai's discontinuation of the Ioniq 6 as the last weird car on sale in the U.S. left us with no more weird cars to buy new (as if any of us could afford a new car.) 

Listen, I've been accused of holding struggle sessions on this site before, but it's clear we're all mourning some loss in the car market (so many cars and body types have been taken from us.) You guys pulled out all the stops. All the greatest hits were addressed in the comments; actually compact pickup trucks, decent zippy city cars and the few beloved wagons that were once available to us; all gone, like tears in the rain. 

Scroll through, if you have the stomach for it, and remember what once was, and could be again, if we only had the true grit needed to bring small, affordable cars back to the U.S.

Ford Fiesta, Focus and/or Fusion. It signaled to the American auto industry that dumping your affordable cars in favor of high-priced behemoths was not only acceptable, it was good business. (The Focus and Fiesta ATX issues and the COVID-induced microchip shortage didn't help matters.)

and

This is absolutely the correct answer. Ford dumping their sedans and hatchbacks, specifically the Fusion, caused a domino effect that stretches far and wide. One example is the Mazda CX-70/90 PHEV. Their original plan was to launch their RWD platform with a Mazda 6 replacement. Ford's decision to chase higher margins by ditching cars made Mazda scramble to get more crossovers and SUVs into production. The CX-50 is fine because it's based on the Mazda 3/CX-30, which was using a tried and true platform and powertrain. Their RWD platform and PHEV system wasn't ready for primetime, so the CX-70/90 have been plagued with all kinds of issues and recalls, and has single-handedly tanked Mazda's reliability rankings.

From Joe Stricker and MrMcGeeIn3D

The Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe

A sort of proto CUV that was basically a small hatchback but also decently rugged, cheap and tough enough to take a beating.

From JaredOfLondon

I'll say the Honda Fit. From a bean-counters perspective probably the right move to not sell here anymore. But I like them and am glad whenever i see one on the road.

and

Honda should always have a subcompact hatchback. The Civic is now too large, but the Fit was its spiritual successor. I always loved how insanely practical that car was.

From Crucial Taunt and Neutral President

The CTS wagon. There are only high-end performance wagons in the $100k+ price range but why no $50k performance wagon? Clearly they have the body designed and it shouldn't be that difficult to fit a smaller engine in them.

From Cluck

The Lincoln Town Car. Since the 1970s, this was the go-to status symbol for soft, cushy, long interstate travel, limos, and shuttles. It bounced around like hyper kids jumping on a hotel bed. It had pillow-soft seats, detached steering, and a vague sense of what was straight ahead on the road. But for the WW2 generation and fleets, this was the pinnacle of "Buy American" luxury. It was the anti-BMW, the anti-Mercedes transportation device. But as the WW2 generation aged out, and their kids wanted Japanese and German luxury, the Lincoln became a car for fleets and limo services and fell out of favor except for the dwindling few who wanted the last bit of huge, soft, American luxury. It being discontinued seemed to be the end of a generation, an end of an era where luxury now meant huge SUVs and CUVs and German sedans and it won't be coming back.

and

Friend's parents owned a '84 ('85?) Lincoln TC..."cushy ride" is putting it mildly. It was like floating above the road. The back seat was like Lincoln just shoved a deep plush couch in there....had a 8-track player to boot I cannot imagine driving it, esp. attempting to steer around an animal or pothole, but to ride it in was bonkers fun.

From Xavier96 and Polysyllabic

Affordable cars and small cars. All of them. Some of us just want basic transportation, and don't want a jacked up hatchback.

I also argue the Jaguar XJ. It was a definitive large sedan that had grace, pace, and space and was gorgeous.

From ChaosphereVIII

The demise of the regular cab, base-model S-10s, (and the replacement 1st-gen Colorados and Canyons) Rangers, Nissans and Toyotas left a huge hole in the affordable basic truck market.

The base model S-10 was $14,770 in 2003. Adjusted for inflation, that's $26,506 today.

A base model Colorado in 2026 is $34,495. (including destination charges)

That's a pretty big chunk of change for the smallest base-model truck you can get from GM.

And Toyota is even worse!

A base model 2003 Tacoma was around $12,700. Adjusted for inflation, that's $22,792 today.

A base model Tacoma in 2026 is $41,260! (Edit: $33,840)

Bring back the affordable small, manual transmission pickup!

and

I think the elimination of the cheap, small pickup truck has been the big cancelation.

From Anonymous Person and Brian

I think the Mitsubishi Evo leaving, left a hole in that segment/ Yea we still have the WRX, and some new comers since then, the GR corolla, but it just isn't the same. That rivalry between Evo and WRX was fun.

and

The rivalry was fun, the problem is the era of WRC being dominated by the Impreza and Lancer died in the early 2000's and even the non manufacturer backed privateer teams running the cars were gone by around 2010. Selling based on a motorsports connection is hard when there's no longer any motorsports connection.

From Agon Targeryan and Connor Paull

Affordable entry level sedans/coupes that don't need the electronic doo-dads that raise the price; wagons, to take the place of 3+ ton SUVs; trucks that aren't intended to be the pinnacle of luxury or bro-dozers, but to actually haul heavy and big loads; small hatchbacks;

Dodge Neon (Not a rebranded Alfa), Ford Focus and Fiesta, especially ST, Toyota Hilux.

From Scourge of Richland

Jetta/Golf Sportwagon

More interior space than all of the comparably sized CUV/SUVs in it's size/price category. With better driving dynamics. And you could get a manual. It was also unique that it was the only European wagon that wasn't luxury (unless you count the short-lived TourX, which was also pretty great). Wish we could have gotten the R Variant too. My old Sportwagon had more space than my current Cayenne. I miss wagons.

From kwhite