All The Cars We'll Say Goodbye To After 2021

Every new model year, some vehicles don't make the cut. Call it survival of the fittest, decreased demand, or other circumstances. It doesn't matter. Vehicles are cut from automaker lineups annually for lots of reasons and 2021 is no different. Now that we're in the final few days of the year, we can now present the complete list of makes and models that won't be around for 2022. They all had a good run but their time is up evidently up.

Some on this list won't surprise anyone while others will bring disappointment. One notable trend is that many are luxury coupes and convertibles. There's also a couple of sedans, wagons, and one crossover ultimately deemed too small for American tastes. Heck, there's even a few premium SUVs that won't be returning, for the time being.

So without further ado, these are the cars not coming back in 2022.

We have to admit we're sad to see the BMW i3 drive off into the sunset. Its mission has been completed in the US as the German automaker's first serious attempt at an EV, with the range extender model acting as an extended-range plug-in hybrid. The funky-looking hatchback was also an experiment in carbon fiber production and construction. Launched for the 2014 model year, the i3 was never a smashing sales success in the US. It didn't appeal to every traditional BMW customer, but it was a much-needed stepping stone. Also on BMW's chopping block is the 2 Series Convertible. For 2022, a new 2 Series Coupe has debuted and will spawn a convertible variant in 2023. And then there's the M2. The fantastic and all-powerful coupe has been retired. The good news is that a G42-based successor will launch come 2023.

The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat is dead. It's never coming back even though the carmaker is currently prepping a next-generation Durango. The Durango Hellcat was always going to be a niche vehicle but demand for it even surprised Dodge. At first, just 2,000 examples were planned for the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 SUV. Dodge never said how many more it built but we're sure it wasn't many. This SUV was intended to be very exclusive from the get-go. With a total of 710 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque on hand, this SUV is unlike anything else on the road, with one major exception: the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

The Honda Civic Type R is gone for 2022, but only temporarily. Come 2023, an all-new generation will debut and we can hardly wait. It'll have some big shoes to fill. Remember, the outgoing Type R set the Nurburgring record for the fastest production FWD car with a time of 7:43.8. The time was since beaten by Renault, but it's no less spectacular.

Also gone is the Honda Clarity PHEV. Honda sold less than 2,000 examples so far this year, which isn't entirely surprising given that the fuel-cell variant is available only in California. Honda does not appear to have any direct replacement lined up and is instead moving towards pure battery electrics. Its first such vehicle will arrive for the 2024 model year and will utilize GM's Ultium platform.

The Hyundai Veloster (not the Veloster N hot hatch) and Ioniq Electric sedan are both gone. The Ioniq Electric sedan's departure shouldn't surprise anyone because the Ioniq 5 will serve as its replacement. The standard Veloster hatch, however, caught us somewhat by surprise. Hatchback popularity in the US has never been anywhere near as strong as it is in Europe, but we were hoping this latest generation Veloster would have changed that. Bear in mind that Volkswagen also cut its iconic Golf hatch from the US market not long ago. It's just another sign of the times where crossovers - essentially raised hatchbacks - rule the market.

Both the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and Grand Cherokee SRT are dead. We know for sure the Hellcat-powered Trackhawk will not return because that engine is being retired. As for the SRT, it's certainly possible Jeep will do a successor, though we highly doubt it'll come with the naturally aspirated 6.4-liter Hemi V8. Jeep is now more focused on building fuel efficiency with the 4xe moniker. A plug-in hybrid version of the newly redesigned SUV is due next year. Like the Durango Hellcat, the Trackhawk's departure represents the end of an era for the automaker. Gone are the days when Jeep (and Dodge) built SUVs that could outrun more expensive rivals like the BMW X5 M.

The only Kia that's not directly coming back is the Sedona minivan. This might seem like a real loss at first because the Sedona has been such a highly rated family hauler, giving the likes of the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna a run for their money. Fortunately, the Sedona is being replaced by the excellent (and CarBuzz Awards Family Fun Winner) Carnival. With its SUV-like styling, amazing interior appointments, and outstanding build quality, the 2022 Carnival might just be the best minivan on the market. So, goodbye Sedona, and hello Carnival!

For 2022, Land Rover has curiously discontinued the Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid. This is due to supply chain shortages caused by the semiconductor chip fiasco. These models were popular in Europe, but not in the USA, likely prompting the cull. A new Range Rover has been launched for 2022 and will live alongside the old one for a year. We'll likely see the RR Hybrid return to the US thereafter.

This one comes as no surprise. Lotus just recently announced the retirement of not one but three iconic sports cars. The Evora, Elise, and Exige are finished. The latter two haven't been sold in the US since 2011, but the Evora has remained available. Initially intended to be a Porsche 718 Cayman rival, the Evora was always right up there but it didn't achieve mass appeal. It was also built in relatively limited numbers. It was even forced to skip a model year in the US in order for its safety systems to be upgraded. Lotus' decision to retire all three makes perfect sense because it's about to embark on a fully electrified future. It will soon launch its final combustion-engined model, the Emira.

This one hurts. Mazda confirmed a few months back that the midsize Mazda 6 sedan is a goner. We can't say for sure whether the Japanese automaker has a successor planned, but it was supposedly working on one a year or so ago. Unlike the outgoing model, the new sedan is said to be rear-wheel drive and powered by a new straight-six engine. An affordable BMW alternative? Count us in, but let's not get our hopes up just yet. The Mazda CX-3 is also being dropped due to slow sales in the US. Overseas, it continues to sell well enough to justify its continued existence. The CX-30 is a Mazda 3-based crossover that better suits the needs of an American audience, and is a better vehicle overall, so it's no major loss that the CX-3 is disappearing.

And just like that... it's gone. The McLaren Elva open-top supercar has officially been retired after its 149-unit production run. We knew from the beginning it was going to be very limited so this comes as no surprise. The Elva is the carmaker's first open-top road-legal model and we doubt it'll be its last. Like all McLarens of its era, the Elva comes powered by a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with a total of 804 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Customers who want to take their Elva to the track were highly recommended to purchase the optional six-point racing harnesses. Those will come in handy when the car accelerates to 62 mph in less than three seconds.

The luxury German automaker is making some major cuts to its 2022 lineup, more so than any other automaker. All of the following are gone: CLS 53, E63 Sedan and E63 Wagon, GLC 63, GLS Maybach, G-Class, AMG A35, AMG C43 Sedan, AMG S63 Coupe and Convertible, and S-Class Coupe and Convertible. Many of these models are not returning due to V8 supply issues.

The A35's departure is somewhat surprising given that its at the lower end of the AMG lineup, while the C43 makes sense given a new generation C-Class has already been launched with hybrid AMG variants promised in due course. We long knew the big S-Class two-door and convertible and their higher performance AMG counterparts wouldn't survive much longer. All four are niche models, costing at least $130,150.

Only one Mini model won't be back for 2022. The Mini John Cooper Works GP is sadly leaving us. This should come as no surprise. It was a limited edition from the get-go with just 3,000 examples set to be made. Available only as a hardtop and priced at nearly $46,000, the JCW GP ditched the regular JCW's turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 228 horsepower with a modified version of that engine tuned to 301 hp. To help reduce weight for superior driving and performance, Mini eliminated the rear seat and added a significant amount of exterior body aero. Perhaps the only downside to the tiny hot hatchback is that it's still front-wheel-drive only. Unlike, say, the Golf R with its AWD system, JCW GP drivers must constantly fight the front tires. Still, a 0-60 mph time of around 4.7 seconds is mighty impressive.

Not everyone would have even realized that the full-size NV Cargoand Passenger vans and the compact Nissan NV200 have been removed from the 2022 model year lineup. Neither of these three vans took off in the US, which shouldn't surprise anyone. We do know the Japanese automaker is working on a new electric successor to the NV200, but chances are it won't be sold in the US soon.

Polestar is a new brand with big dreams of directly battling Tesla. Building fully electrified models from here on in, the Swedish carmaker's first model was the plug-in hybrid Polestar 1. This stunning grand touring coupe is already discontinued but we knew from the beginning it was going to have a limited 1,500-unit run. Along with the plug-in system, the coupe came powered by a 2.0-liter supercharged and turbocharged inline-four, alone producing 328 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. Combined with the two electric motors, combined output reached 619 hp and 738 lb-ft. Every example built was left-hand-drive and all are bound to be highly prized collectibles in the years ahead.

The Porsche Macan Turbo is gone from the 2022 lineup, effectively replaced by the similarly-powered GTS. There's a decent chance the Turbo will return for 2023 but the German automaker has been non-committal. What we do know for certain is that an all-electric Macan is on the way. It will likely debut sometime in 2022 as a 2023 model. Porsche's reasoning for dropping the 2022 Turbo likely has to do with model simplification. Both the GTS and Turbo come powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 with 434 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. There was simply no need to have both. But if a new Turbo does arrive in a year's time, we'll be quite interested in seeing how much power it'll have.

Like Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce is trimming the lineup fat by eliminating exclusive two-door derivatives like the Dawn and Wraith. The Dawn is a stunning convertible with a price tag beginning at about $357,000. The Wraith isn't exactly affordable either, starting at $330,000. Both vehicles will easily surpass the $500k mark once buyers tack optional features and the seemingly endless customization possibilities. With these two out of the picture, Rolls-Royce's lineup is limited to two sedans and one SUV. This won't be for long because the fully electric Spectre coupe is due to arrive for the 2023 model year. No one ever said a stunning Roll-Royce coupe or convertible had to have a combustion engine under its hood.

It has finally happened. Subaru has retired the current-generation WRX STI, which is based on the fourth-generation Impreza that launched way back in 2012. An all-new WRX STI is just around the corner. A completely redesigned WRX is just about to arrive in showrooms, but enthusiasts will still clamor for the more powerful STI. The outgoing model produced some impressive specs: 310 horsepower and 290 lb-ft of torque courtesy of a turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four engine. The sole transmission option is a six-speed manual that routed power to all four wheels. When it first went on sale for 2014, the WRX STI more than stood its ground against rivals but because it was updated very little over the years, those competitors managed to catch up. What we'd really like to see is an electrified next-gen WRX STI. Fingers crossed.

Toyota buyers need to know that two models have run their course: the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser. Its departure really hurts. It's been on sale in the US since 1958 when just one 20 Series example was sold here. The 40 Series replaced it in 1960. The outgoing 200 Series has been on the market since 2007 and changed relatively little since. That was part of its charm as an old-school luxury SUV with serious off-roading capabilities. Its corporate and slightly pricier twin, the Lexus LX, however, will live on. Now called the LX 600, this is technically the Land Cruiser's replacement in North America. Still, it's hard to accept the Land Cruiser nameplate has been retired on this side of the pond.

Like the Hyundai Veloster, Volkswagen is dropping its entry-level hatchback in America for 2022. The legendary VW Golf is no more although the performance-focused GTI and Golf R still remain. The decision to cut the base Golf stems from America's general refusal of hatchbacks. They prefer a slightly taller hatchback called the crossover. This has been a known fact for years now and VW finally clued in. The Golf's unofficial replacement is the Taos, a crossover slotted just below the Tiguan in the size and pricing departments. The Golf's departure ends a long sales run that began with the first-generation model in late 1974.

Volvo is in the midst of fully electrifying its entire lineup, aiming to do so by 2030. We have no doubt it'll achieve that goal. But in order to do so, some slow-selling sacrifices must be made. The Volvo V60 and V90 wagons have been asked to pack up their stuff and are being escorted out the door by security. However, the V60 Polestar Engineered and V90 Cross Country remain in the 2022 lineup. Those of us who grew up in the 1980s and early 90s keenly remember Volvo wagons gracing grocery store and elementary school parking lots. It's actually kind of amazing both wagons managed to last for as long as they did.