What New Cars Are Brand Killers?

We've identified the Pontiac Sunbird and six other cars causing Pontiac's demise so, like kids with swine flu, we've got to identify the disease-carriers still in our midst. What new cars are brand killers?

Can you do better, or worse, than a Jeep Compass? Jeep is a brand all about building comfortable soft-roaders off their history of trail-rated off-roaders like the Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep Compass, based on the Dodge Caliber but somehow uglier, manages to do none of these things. At best, it's an amazingly unattractive, incapable, barely parking lot-rated, and somewhat comfortable hatchback. The only visual connections to the rest of the Jeep line are the slotted grille and round headlights, which both look comically out-of-place. And don't get us started on the weird flared fenders. Who exactly would buy one of these and then decide to buy another Jeep? The Compass is a brand killer because it conforms to none of the brand's missions, dilutes the styling through cheap plastic cladding, and is yet another reminder of the existence of the Dodge Caliber.

(QOTD is your chance to answer the day's most pressing automotive questions and experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good "Question Of The Day" send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)