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You may have noticed several car models missing in showrooms this year.
A number of vehicles were discontinued in 2023 due to changing consumer preferences. That includes a mix of passenger cars like the Chevrolet Spark, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Avalon as more Americans turn to larger SUVs.
“The extra-small SUVs are definitely becoming a much more popular entry-level for these brands,” said Will Kaufman, news editor at car research site Edmunds.
Others are discontinued due to declining sales, or to make sure an automaker doesn’t have similar models competing within their lineup.
Here’s a list of cars and SUVs discontinued in 2023, according to consumer research site Edmunds:
Acura ILX
The ILX compact luxury sedan came out in 2013 as the brand’s entry-level model and hadn’t gotten a major update since its release. Now, the reborn 2023 Integra will serve as first-time buyers’ point of entry into Acura’s lineup.
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Buick Encore
The Encore subcompact was introduced in the 2013 model year with the hopes of attracting younger buyers. Sales of the Encore in the January-through-September period fell nearly 42% in 2022 compared with the same stretch in 2021, according to General Motors.
“The Buick Encore going away makes a lot of sense because Buick’s already selling the Encore GX, which is a related similarly sized model,” said Edmunds’ Kaufman. “No sense to have competition there on the inside.”
Chevrolet Spark
Chevrolet ceased production of the Spark subcompact in August 2022, according to Edmunds. The Spark was one of the cheapest new cars on the market, starting at $14,595 with destination and handling charges.
Ford EcoSport
Ford said in 2021 that the EcoSport subcompact crossover SUV would be removed from the U.S. market in 2022, the Detroit Free Press reported. The model, Ford’s smallest and most affordable SUV, has been available only since late 2017 and has seen sales decline.
Honda Insight
Honda announced last year that its Indiana plant would end production of the Insight hybrid sedan in June 2022 as the company focuses on its hybrid core models. Honda sold more than 70,000 Insight sedans since the model was introduced in 2018, according to the company.
“Honda is going to launch its Civic Hybrid, and that would be in competition with the Insight,” Kaufman said.
Hyundai Accent
Hyundai said in a statement that the Accent was discontinued “due to an expanded SUV lineup that includes Venue,” a small SUV. With the Accent’s discontinuation, the Venue becomes the brand’s lowest-priced car.
“Having a small sedan as your entry-level isn’t necessarily worth it at this point,” Kaufman said. “Hyundai has a small SUV as an entry-level vehicle that’s slightly better equipped.”
Lexus RX L
Launched in 2017, the RX L is the three-row version of the popular RX SUV, which just had a full redesign.
“It’s likely they’re going to make a dedicated three-row Lexus SUV,” Kaufman said. “They’re not going to rely on sort of this compromise solution of a slightly longer RX model.”
Toyota Avalon
Around since the mid-1990s, the Avalon has now been dropped by Toyota. But the carmaker is replacing the sedan with a new semi-luxury full-size sedan.
The Avalon “is being replaced by the Crown, which is an upcoming vehicle that is a bit of an odd duck,” Kaufman said. The 2023 Crown “kind of splits the difference between a sedan and an SUV.”
Volkswagen Passat
The Passat sedan will leave U.S. Volkswagen showrooms in 2023 after a limited-edition 2022 model year run. The discontinuation came more than 30 years after the Passat nameplate made its debut in the nation, USA TODAY reported in 2021.
“It makes sense for Volkswagen to focus more on their SUV business right now because it’s doing quite well,” Kaufman said.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2022.
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