Photo: TOP-5 failed models of the auto industry Author: Konstantin Shirokun
No matter how hard designers and marketers try to guess the needs of consumers, the market is the market – from time to time models go on sale that are destined to be unsuccessful. It will be useful to understand why the most notorious losers of the automotive world “did not go”.
Read about several cars that suffered sales failures in the RBC-Ukraine article.
Without going into technical and marketing details, let's say that these models are considered failures because they did not have the sales for which they were created. Although some of these cars enjoyed a certain demand and remained on the conveyor for quite a long time.
NSU Ro80 (1967 – 1977)
The German manufacturer created this fashionable sedan for the sake of a new type of engine – a rotary piston, the so-called Wankel engine. It was thanks to it that the model was recognized as “European Car of the Year-1968”. The car turned out to be really interesting – it had an outstanding for the 1960s top speed of 180 km/h, and in addition to the rotary engine with a volume of 0.995 l (113 hp) it had front-wheel drive, a semi-automatic transmission, rack and pinion steering and disc brakes on all wheels. However, it was the engine that ruined the car, which turned out to be short-lived and unreliable, as it required major repairs every 50,000 km of run, and also consumed excessive fuel. Because of this, for example, in Great Britain the Ro 80 was converted in small series to a regular piston engine Ford V4, which, although with difficulty, fit into the cramped underhood space of the car. Despite the fact that the NSU Ro80 was produced for ten years, only 37,204 cars were produced. Nowadays, each example with a native Wankel under the hood is worth its weight in gold, as they say.
Isuzu VehiCross (1997 – 2001)
In essence, an atypical car, the concept of which occasionally comes to the minds of the ideologists of one or another brand. The Japanese conceived their VehiCross as a powerful luxury car with wide off-road capabilities. However, the car was ahead of its time, because in the late 1990s, this narrow segment was dominated by a few conservative “cubes” from Mercedes. And the amazing Japanese, although it had a solid frame architecture, a V6 engine, an automatic transmission with a transfer case and a differential with automatic locking, in addition could boast a truly comfortable interior, satellite navigation and a rear-view camera (yes, in 1997!). About 1,800 copies were produced, eight of which ended up in Ukraine at the beginning of the 21st century.
Suzuki X90 (1995-1997)
Clearly a provocative model, the boldness of the creators can only be explained by the fact that it was based on the already existing and quite successful Suzuki Escudo/Vitara model. The idea is impressive even now: a frame, a two-seater interior, a three-volume coupe body, but with a removable roof, and all this – on a high ground clearance and even on all-wheel drive! And an uncompromising all-wheel drive, with a full-fledged “transfer case” and a low range of gears. The public was probably shocked, because sales turned out to be a failure – even in America, prone to automotive perversions, they sold only 7,000 units. In total, about 9,000 units were produced, which could not be sold for two years after the end of production, and even a quarter price reduction did not help sales. Interestingly, several of these cars were once driving around Ukraine.
Citroen C6 (2005 – 2012)
It was a very beautiful car with a luxurious interior and comfortable chassis. The outstanding design was complemented by outstanding technical characteristics, but this large Citroen did not have the main thing – status. And without this in the business class you can not, no matter how beautiful and rich in devices you are. In short, the public did not appreciate this definitely worthy model, and the manufacturer limited the circulation to less than 24 thousand copies. In our country, official dealers sold as many as ten copies of the Citroen C6, and today they are not visible on the roads. It is possible that they have already become collector's items.
Renault Avantime (2001 – 2003)
And this is another conceptual miscalculation – an attempt to create a luxury car in a convenient minivan format. More precisely, this is a miscalculation not in the concept, but in time, because the European rich were not yet ready for such a prestigious face. It is significant that a few years later this niche was more successfully attacked by the German Volkswagen Multivan. Meanwhile, Renault Avantime was actually a model that belonged to several classes at once, although the word crossover had not yet been invented. “Avantime” combined the features of a comfortable coupe (few doors and passenger seats), a compact van (interior with a high ceiling) and a fun car for young people (V6 engine with 207 hp and an unusual appearance). Nevertheless, the mix turned out to be too complex, and the French produced only 8.5 thousand “Avantimes”.
Short
It is understandable that the cars mentioned here did not live up to the expectations of their creators. But from today's point of view, some of these cars are successful, although not in such a wide circle of consumers. Some of these models will at least remain in history due to their certain extraordinary qualities – an atypical concept, original design, bold technical solutions, and so on. Oddly enough, it was precisely these highlights that many years ago caused the market failure of the models.
In preparing this article, materials from Autobild, L`Automobile and Motor were used.
Let us recall that RBC-Ukraine recently reported on the types of all-wheel drive available on pickups and SUVs.