Retiring Car Models in 2024: A Look Back at Three Notable Examples

2023-12-26 08:29:16
© DR

Several models will be removed from the catalog in 2024 or simply at the end of their career. A look back at three notable examples.

Times change, and so do the catalogs of car manufacturers. Next year, several vehicles will retire and the “keel”, sometimes passing the baton to a new generation… and sometimes disappearing altogether. In the list of the missing, three models are worth remembering because they all represent an era which seems to have passed in different respects. A look back at these cars that you loved so much and which are now no longer popular.

The Renault Zoe is going

The Renault Zoe has been in the catalog since 2012© Alex Krassovsky

With the Nissan Leaf, it is one of the first electric cars to have democratized the genre in Europe. Well before Tesla, in fact. The little diamond still benefits from interesting features such as 22 kW AC charging, which is always very practical at public terminals, or its wound rotor synchronous motor. But since Renault is preparing a new offensive with a more modern CMF “EV” platform, it is time for the Zoe to bow out. In 2023, its sales collapsed by half, barely reaching 6,000 copies. Renault has so far refused to lower the price of the Zoe in the face of increasingly tough competition. Perhaps in 2024, before it is definitively withdrawn in favor of the R5?

The Peugeot 3008 diesel is over

The Peugeot 3008 will no longer be sold in diesel in 2024© Alex Krassovsky

It was the symbol of Peugeot’s renewal with the previous generation of 308 under the Gilles Vidal era. The Peugeot 3008 II allowed the lion to move quite clearly ahead of its French rivals. And the diesel version was no stranger to this since it represented the bulk of sales for a long time. But in 2024, you will no longer be able to buy a 3008 diesel. The current generation will leave and make way for a new 3008 for the first time available in electric. Hybrid and gasoline will also be on the program, but no BlueHDI. Too bad for heavy riders who could have continued to benefit from more efficient energy and measured consumption without resorting to electrification.

The Volkswagen Touran, the last of the mo(nospace)hicans

The French want SUVs, not minivans© Volkswagen

Europeans, and more particularly the French, have not wanted minivans for a long time. You loved them for years. But SUVs have taken over. The perfect illustration is the renewal of the Scénic as a “Sport Utility Vehicle”. Volkswagen will also end the career of its small MPV, the Touran, after eliminating the Sharan in 2022. Almost all general brand minivans have disappeared with the exception of Ford’s S-Max. And only BMW is still selling 2 Series Active Tourers. At Mercedes, the B Class is already condemned.

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