Dead Car Driving: Deceased Car Brands still Populating the Streets

This post is aimed at young car spotters out there.  I know there are several since I started car spotting at the age of five, being able to pick out every new Pontiac Grand Prix on the road.  Speaking of Pontiac, that is going to be one of the brands I will highlight as being no longer in production.  Many brands closed their doors since the turn of the 21st century, and young car spotters may wonder why none of these brands have any new cars.  I will identify a few once popular now deceased car brands whose models still populate America's roads.


Let's start with Mercury, long the middle child in Ford's lineup.  Mercury was doomed from the start as it was positioned to be more luxurious than Ford but not as luxurious as Lincoln. This left the brand with a very narrow bandwidth.  It could not descend too far downmarket and encroach on Ford, but it could not sufficiently grow without competing directly with Lincoln.  Combined with Ford's difficulty in differentiating its vehicles across brands as it was, there was really no hope for Mercury.  The final nail in the coffin came as a result of the One Ford strategy that emphasized global products designed for multiple markets.  Since Ford offers higher end content on its models overseas, America was soon treated to upgraded features and amenities in even the most basic Ford vehicle.  Ford's push upmarket made Mercury irrelevant and the brand was discontinued in 2011.


I could go on forever about the number of brands General Motors has euthanized before and after its chapter 11 bankruptcy.  First there is Saturn, a brand that sold plastic bodied cars with a hassle free buying experience.  In the last years of its life, it started to import classy European Opels into its lineup.  Now that role has gone to Buick, with cars such as the Encore and the Regal.  Hummer was an exercise in excess, with a lineup of large, crudely built, badly packaged, gas guzzling vehicles.  Low gas prices have coaxed some of the remaining Hummers out of hiding, but their numbers are still paltry compared to the times when I was seeing half a dozen per day.  Pontiac was a more bitter loss.  GM's excitement division was just beginning to find its stride with cars such as the G8 and Solstice.  However, it was too little too late.  Years of mediocre products outweighed the greatness of the latest models and GM deemed Pontiac expendable in 2010. 


Although not initially a General Motors brand, Saab was bought by GM in 1989 and killed off in 2012.  The Swedish brand built a reputation for safe and reliable cars, and had a loyal fan base with its customers being some of the most educated people in the market.  Saab should not have died, but mismanagement from GM failed to capitalize on its unique charisma and doomed the brand to only regional relevance. 


Finally we have Suzuki, a GM partner brand known for spunky cheap runabouts.  Although still around in other markets, Suzuki ceased US sales in 2013.  Suzuki's death can be attributed to a number of factors.  Increased competition from mainstream manufacturers ate into Suzuki's market share of small affordable cars and SUVs.  A miniscule dealer network and no marketing stunted any potential to increase sales.  Furthermore the company was unable to enter fruitful partnerships with other automakers to offer cars American buyers wanted.  That being said, Suzuki is still the fourth largest Japanese automaker.  Its small cheap city cars sell spectacularly in Japan and India, and the Suzuki Swift has proved popular in Europe by providing good value with a sporty driving character, and showing up the MINI Cooper as the overpriced fashion accessory that it is.


What strikes me looking at this list is how many of these brands could have been saved with different marketing and product initiatives.  Mercury could have had a shot if Ford did more to give it an individual character, perhaps make it the group's sporty brand.  Saab was a wasted opportunity to capitalize on a popular brand rich with heritage.  Hummer admittedly was out of touch with the times by 2010, but its spiritual competitor Jeep is still doing well, suggesting that there might have been hope if Hummer modernized its lineup.  Pontiac, Saturn, and Suzuki were building increasingly competitive cars in their final days, but no efforts to advertise them meant no one knew it.  The auto industry is still as cutthroat as its ever been.  It will be interesting to see if any other brands fall in the years to come.