Episode 448
Morning 6-Pack - Six Discontinued Cars I Want Back (Yes, Really)
We're doing the Morning 6-Pack — I count down the top six discontinued cars that should totally make a comeback. I hit picks like the lovable, tiny Volkswagen Beetle (yeah, basically the car version of Kevin Hart) and the Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am for your childhood movie flex. We poke fun at the gloriously unreliable Yugo and celebrate the El Camino — half-car, half-truck, all attitude. I roast the Ford Pinto too — "perfect for tailgaters who need an explosive incentive to back off" — but it's all playful trash-talk. I tease the #1 pick without spoiling it, but trust me, it's the kind of ride that makes everyone on the highway slow down. Fast, goofy, and full of banter — tune in for laughs and maybe a weird urge to start a revival movement.
Takeaways:
- I noticed automakers are axing sedans and small cars because America straight up wants SUVs now.
- We joked but it's real: companies are clearing house, killing niche models and reshuffling EV and SUV lineups fast.
- I loved the nostalgia bit — Beetle, El Camino, Trans Am, Crown Vic made the list, and we totally miss them, like, bring ’em back please.
- We pointed out EV demand was overestimated, so some electric models got paused or killed, proving hype doesn't equal long-term buyers.
- I said the future showroom will be trucks, SUVs, crossovers, a few EVs, and maybe some used sports cars chilling in the corner.
Transcript
Good morning.
Speaker A:It's Haystack and before you know it, the end of the year is going to be here.
Speaker A:And the end of the model year is here for a lot of vehicles and the end of life is here for a lot.
Speaker A:As many manufacturers discontinue models.
Speaker A:One of the biggest on the cut list, the Ford Escape.
Speaker A:It's been a good 25 years.
Speaker A:Ford Escape, it's being phased out.
Speaker A:The SUV segment is brutally competitive and Ford is kind of reshuffling their SUV plans and their EV plans.
Speaker A:And the Escape is going to be no more.
Speaker A:The Jaguar or Jaguar F Pace, the last gas powered Jaguar SUV is going away as they try to reboot themselves as an all electric luxury brand.
Speaker A:Tesla's original luxury EV stars are reportedly going to end after this year, the Model S and the Model X, because nearly all of their production volume comes from the Model 3 and the Model Y. Chevy's last mainstream sedan is done.
Speaker A:The Chevrolet malibu.
Speaker A:America wants SUVs, they do not want sedans.
Speaker A:The Subaru legacy, another sedan, a midsize sedan.
Speaker A:After 36 years going away, Nissan's cheap little sedan, the Nissan Versa is done.
Speaker A:The Nissan Altima is likely done.
Speaker A:That one not confirmed yet, but thought to be done again.
Speaker A:Sedans just not something Americans tend to want.
Speaker A:And the, the Kia soul, the little hatchback crossover, the cute little boxy thing is being retired.
Speaker A:Kia's got other small SUVs that kind of overlap with it.
Speaker A:And the, the soul's boxy, funky niche thing has kind of gone away.
Speaker A:People are over it.
Speaker A:A bunch more, including the Acura TLX, the Cadillac XT4 and XT6.
Speaker A:There's a ton of them.
Speaker A:The big story is that automakers are clearing house.
Speaker A:Sedans continue to die and wither on the vine.
Speaker A:Small, cheap cars are disappearing.
Speaker A:Niche sports cars are becoming rare.
Speaker A:Some EVs are being paused or killed off because many companies way overestimated the demand for EVs.
Speaker A:The showroom of the future is basically trucks, SUVs, crossovers, and a couple of EVs and maybe some used sports cars.
Speaker A:So a pretty, pretty shifting landscape.
Speaker A:But now that we, now that we know which cars are gonna be discontinued this year, we should revisit some vehicles that have disappeared from the past and debate whether those were the right call.
Speaker A:Maybe there are some discontinued cars that should be brought back.
Speaker B:Well, gather round folks.
Speaker B:It's the time of day when we laugh and smile in a lighthearted way.
Speaker B:Tune in for the giggles and let's kick back.
Speaker B:Here comes the fun.
Speaker B:It's the Morning 6 PAC.
Speaker A:These are the top six discontinued cars that should be brought back.
Speaker A:Coming in at number six, the Volkswagen Beetle.
Speaker A:Oh, it's so lovable, so fun, so tiny.
Speaker A:Basically the automobile equivalent of Kevin Hart.
Speaker A:Let's bring it back.
Speaker A:Number five, the Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit.
Speaker A:That's right, kids.
Speaker A:Long before your uncle's shoulder had that tattoo, that fire breathing bird was on a car, believe it or not.
Speaker A:Number four, the Yugo.
Speaker A:The irony, of course, is that when you turn the key, you actually don't go.
Speaker A:Which I guess was part of its charm.
Speaker A:Number three, the El Camino.
Speaker A:Let's bring back the El Camino.
Speaker A:I mean, some people think it's a car and other people think it's a truck.
Speaker A:And then there's people who have chest hair and think it's a whole vibe in their entire life.
Speaker A:Number two, the Ford Pinto.
Speaker A:Perfect for tailgaters who need an explosive incentive to back off.
Speaker A:And the number one discontinued car that should absolutely be brought back, the Ford Crown Victoria.
Speaker A:So everyone on the highway immediately slows down around you.
