Some cars, or carmakers, continue to linger in the current-model listings despite themselves.
Did you know, for instance, that according to VFACTS Holden sold one Monaro in 2011 -- five full years after production of the VZ coupe officially ended. That's how it goes sometimes, for a variety of reasons a particular model is discontinued, but unfavourable colours or specifications result in a handful of vehicles remaining in dealer stock long after the retail network finished ordering them from the factory.
Frequently those cars are downright orphans, unloved and misbegotten, but on the other hand there are also some that are tearfully missed. What follows is a brief overview of the changing face of Australia’s new-car market over the next 12 months -- or so.
Alfa Romeo GT/Brera
Alfa Romeo’s parent company Fiat may wield a big stick internationally, what with its ownership of US giant Chrysler, but that doesn’t make the once-revered Italian brand a big presence in Australia. With the fairly recent departure of sexy models such as the Brera and GT coupes, the brand now relies on small economy cars with a sporty bent such as the three-door Mito and the new Giulietta five-door hatchbacks. Oh for the days of the 1960s 105 coupe, or the 1931 8C ...Dodge Caliber/Journey/Nitro
Not exactly a Saab story, but Dodge is another name due to disappear from Australia’s automotive lexicon as Chrysler reorganises itself locally to embrace the Fiat brand.This will mean the end of Dodge products sold in Australia: the Caliber cross roader, Nitro SUV and -- in name only -- the Dodge Journey MPV. The latter multi-seat Dodge is likely to be renamed Fiat Fremont, as it has been in Euro markets, where it is reportedly doing quite well.
The Caliber, despite its chunky looks, was never really a claimant of small-car turf in Australia, while the Nitro was memorable for its strange mixture of macho looks and light-duty 4WD capability. Although it looked as though it could uproot a 300 years-old forest giant, it was actually no more an off-roader than a Hyundai iX35.
Ford Escape
According to Ford, it is still possible to buy an Escape in Australia, even though its Mazda counterpart, the Tribute, went to the big garage in the sky some time ago. Once available with a V6, any Escape to leave the showrooms today will be powered by a 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine driving through a four-speed auto transmission. This powerplant is more environmentally friendly than the V6, but the fuel economy and emissions figures belong to another era (9.8L/100km and 234g/km).Ford Fiesta ECOnetic
Not all that long ago Ford was trumpeting -- and with some justification -- the economy/emissions aspects of its super-frugal Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6-litre turbodiesel. Most recently, it has quoted better-than-hybrid fuel figures of 3.6L/100km and an emissions reading of 95g/km. Alas, because the Fiesta ECOnetic is sourced from Germany rather than Thailand, where other Fiestas are built, it is no longer financially viable for the model to be sold in Australia (that is, the price differential would be too great) and it has been dropped from the local Ford lineup. Pity. The ECOnetic Fiesta was a good drive, and helped Ford’s eco credentials no end.Holden Epica
Porsche may have designed the transverse six-cylinder engines, but that wasn’t enough to imbue Holden’s Epica, which was dated even before it left the starting blocks locally in 2007, with any distinct personality. The car is still listed on Holden’s books, and you could probably buy one if you wanted to, but there’s a lot better out there today than this dressed-up early-90s Daewoo. If you want consolation nonetheless, take heart in the plan to replace it here with the US-made Malibu.Hyundai Tiburon
Plenty of folks thought the Tiburon a particularly good-looking coupe, and some even thought that the V6 version was a pretty good drive, too. The front-drive, Celica-style Hyundai sports coupe followed the cheap and cheerful, imaginatively-named S Coupe (Scoop) in 2002 as either a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, or as a V6 sharing its 2.7-litre engine with the Santa Fe and Tucson SUVs. Memories from the past recall a pretty decent two-door coupe, particularly in V6 form where a certain amount of panache was detectable. But although Hyundai still lists the Tiburon on its books, and despite many rumours of an upcoming rear-drive version, the Tiburon name is likely to disappear as the front-drive Veloster steps in to take over. A rear-drive Hyundai coupe based on the new Genesis model is coming, but not for 18 months or so.Hyundai Getz
Hyundai’s light hatch, now more or less replaced by the i20, fitted the cheap and cheerful description too, and was in many ways quite endearing as entry-level transport when it was introduced in 2002. It remains easy to live with provided you don’t have too many expectations and don’t subject it to too much rough and tumble. High-mileage examples demonstrate its tendency to age early.Mitsubishi Colt
The Colt will fade away once Mitsubishi brings its new Mirage light car to market next year. Using the same basics as the short-lived Smart forfour hatch, the Mitsubishi Colt lacks some of that model’s Benz-based street credibility and, some would say, its looks. The no longer available hardtop convertible version of the Colt in particular could never have claimed to be one of the world’s best-proportioned cars. The hatch version looks a lot better, and even goes well enough with the standard 1.5-litre engine and its exceptionally light, one-tonne mass. But it will give way in 2013 to a new, eco-friendly model in the upcoming Mirage that will initially be available in thee-cylinder petrol form, with a full-electric, i-MiEV-style version to follow.Nissan Tiida
Nissan will do what it should have done when it launched the Tiida in 2006 -- its next small car will be badged Pulsar. The awkward-looking Tiida (especially in sedan form) is in fact a better car than the sales figures suggest, with exceptional passenger space and a sense of quality that was generally above its Japanese and Korean counterparts when it was launched more than six years ago. Never sporty, the 1.8-litre Tiida is quite spritely in six-speed manual gearbox form, economical and emissions-friendly. But if it don’t look right, people ain’t gonna buy it.Peugeot 207 CC
The style may be a little unbalanced, but Peugeot’s little 207 CC hardtop convertible remains one of the most accessible cars of its ilk in Australia. On sale here since 2007, the little Pug brought a mix of open-top cruising and hardtop security with 2+2 seating, looks you ether loved or hated and, at the top end, a reasonably punchy 1.6-litre turbo engine shared with the MINI Cooper S. But the new 208 is on the way and, while the 207 CC will dribble along until the end of the year, its demise is inevitable. A 208 CC is coming, but we don’t yet know when . . .Proton
Who knows what is happening with Malaysian car-maker Proton? Against a background of recent ownership changes and declining home market sales, the company is working to consolidate itself, with noticeable effect on its Australian presence. At present the ANCAP-challenged Jumbuck ute is its biggest seller ahead of the S16 and Persona sedans, but all models apart from the Persona (it had sold, at the time of writing, three more units this year than last) are down. The so-called Savvy has gone, while the Satria Neo three-door and Gen 2 small sedan are still around, but barely.Saab
Among the saddest is the Saab brand which, for a seemingly interminable period, brought a mixture of hope and/or desperation to the industry, the marketplace, and the company itself.The final gong sounded when the last of the hoped-for Chinese saviours dropped out of contention and the Swedish company succumbed to bankruptcy without any sign that the brand will ever be seen again.
Listed among the missing are the -- sort of -- recently launched 9-5, which was quite a decent effort in the mid-size luxo class, and the 9-3 range that included the perennial convertible, which became, over its many years of existence, Saab’s unofficial icon. Never exactly the most sorted soft-top in its class, the open-air 9-3 nonetheless found plenty of customers here with its looks and achievable pricing. Saabs were unfortunately tougher when it came to being involved in a crash than when subjected to normal wear and tear.
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