We’re not completely certain why, however the final week of February was the week fairly just a few automakers determined to announce that issues are No Longer Happening. Granted, these are all initiatives that the majority of us hadn’t thought of in a very long time, nevertheless it’s nonetheless slightly unhappy to see. So a lot cash simply down the drain. For your comfort, right here’s a fast roundup of all of the vehicles that had been killed or canceled within the final week.
Apple Car
The dying of the Apple Car was most likely the largest story of the week, despite the fact that we are able to’t think about too many individuals had been all that upset to listen to the information. Known internally as Project Titan, the Apple Car stored being delayed and delayed once more, and in the end it simply wasn’t meant to be.
It didn’t assist that reporting concerning the Apple Car recommended one of many greatest issues with the mission was that completely different folks concerned all had conflicting priorities. Plus, nobody appeared to have the ability to totally clarify why Apple was even attempting to construct a automotive within the first place.
In whole, Apple reportedly wasted $10 billion — a billion per 12 months — attempting to make its automotive desires a actuality. And what did it get out of this failed mission? As far as we are able to inform, completely nothing.
BMW Z4 Concept Touring Coupe
When we first noticed the BMW Z4 Concept Touring Coupe, we had been blown away. Could the clown shoe lastly be making its triumphant return? Not essentially. BMW was fairly clear from the start that it wouldn’t develop into a full manufacturing mannequin, nevertheless it nonetheless tempted us with the chance that we’d see a low-volume, limited-production run.
This week, although, BMWBlog reported that executives had determined to scrap the concept to construct the Z4 Concept Touring Coupe. With a rumored worth of round $250,000 and solely 50 vehicles presumably deliberate for manufacturing, it’s not like several common individual would have been capable of get their palms on one, nevertheless it’s nonetheless unhappy to see our capturing brake desires dashed like that.
Mercedes-Maybach SUS
Back in 2018 Mercedes revealed an idea for a Maybach-badged ultra-luxury sedan that was additionally sort of an SUV (or, in case you desire, a Maybach SUV with sedan-like styling), it was simply ridiculous. The manufacturing Maybach GLS that the idea previewed ended up as a conventional SUV, however the sedan variant was supposedly nonetheless being developed for China solely, so it’s not like it might actually have an effect on something right here in America.
As it seems, creating a car, even one which makes use of a shared platform, for only one market proved costly, and Mercedes simply couldn’t justify persevering with the mission. We can’t say that we’re shocked, however on the similar time, it might have no less than been fascinating to see the manufacturing model. From the sound of it, although, that’s simply not going to occur.
Lagonda
Be sincere. Did you even do not forget that Aston Martin had revealed a Lagonda idea that was presupposed to revive the model? The Lagonda Vision Concept appeared fascinating sufficient, nevertheless it languished for years, by no means making it to manufacturing. And again in 2021, we heard rumors that Aston Martin could also be finished with Lagonda.
Those rumors had been confirmed this week when Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll advised Autocar that Lagonda is formally lifeless. If “we think there’s enough luxury in our sports cars and SUV, so we’re not considering launching a less-performance, higher-luxury car,” wasn’t sufficient to verify that for you, Stroll later spoke concerning the Lagonda idea, saying, “that idea is completely dead and has absolutely nothing to do with our electric vehicle plan.”
So yeah, don’t maintain your breath ready for a manufacturing Lagonda. It isn’t occurring anytime quickly.
Wagoneer (As A Brand)
When Jeep introduced that it deliberate to convey again the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, it additionally determined that Wagoneer ought to be its personal sub-brand. Jeep needed to maneuver upmarket, and a part of that apparently concerned promoting Jeeps that didn’t have any Jeep badges. That sort of factor isn’t utterly exceptional within the trade, nevertheless it was nonetheless an odd transfer contemplating how a lot model fairness the Jeep identify has.
And wouldn’t you understand it, just a few years later, Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa advised Motorweek that the Wagoneer sub-brand is lifeless. The SUVs themselves will proceed to be offered, however they’ll all have Jeep badges now. So now you’ll need to admit to all your pals that you simply really purchased a Jeep and never a Wagoneer. How embarrassing. Just kidding. Everyone knew the Wagoneers had been Jeeps even when Jeep insisted they technically weren’t.
Honorable Mention: MotorTrend+
Technically, MotorTrend+ isn’t a automotive, nevertheless it is (nicely, was) car-related leisure, so we figured it no less than deserves an honorable point out. Discovery might have been completely pleased to proceed cranking out countless variations of Angry Bearded Man Garage, however MotorTrend no less than tried to supply one thing higher. And now MotorTrend+ is lifeless.
The excellent news is, in case you have a Max subscription, most MotorTrend+ content material ought to be out there that method now. So now you possibly can watch Roadkill Garage with out having to pay for an additional subscription. From that perspective, perhaps Discovery killing MotorTrend+ was really a very good factor.
Source: jalopnik.com