Discontinued Cars That Should Make a Comeback

The automobile industry is very dynamic where change is the only constant. As the technology advances day by day, so does the entire industry and the cars within. Many cars receive overhauls and become almost unrecognizable, but some unfortunate cars see a bad fate—discontinuation. However, some of these discontinued cars were truly loved by their users and the wider community owing to different reasons.

In this post, we are going to list down some vintage and discontinued cars that should make a comeback and why. Without further ado, here is the list.

Ford Focus

The latest 2018 Ford Focus was an excellent vehicle with impressive features. It had tech-packed features, a ton of comfort, sporty steering, top-notch handling, and great fuel mileage. In addition to that, Ford Focus also offered a decent amount of trunk space and a solid infotainment system. It had a 123 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 123 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm.  All in all, a car that should be making a comeback. 

This Ford Focus series began with its first generation in 1998, replacing its counterpart Ford Escort. It gave competition to many cars in its category with its economy and good handling & horsepower.

However, Ford decided to scrap all hatchbacks and sedans (except Mustang) to purely focus on their crossover & SUV series unfortunately. This discontinued car should be making a comeback, but, so far Ford has no plans to reinstate their sedans or hatchbacks.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo was a sports-based sedan, an extension of the Mitsu Lancer and came into the market in 1996 and remained a very competitive vehicle till 2016. The early Lancer Evolution packed a 2.0 turbocharged engine and had many different variants including GSR and RS models. And finally, there was the Evolution X which had a 2.0L turbocharged engine and all the different models had a minimum of 276 horsepower. Different countries had different models with varying torque and other features, all in all, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was a car that held a place within their owners’ and car enthusiasts’ hearts.

Rumors began spreading in 2011 about discontinuation of this legendry vehicle, and finally, Mitsubishi discontinued this vehicle in 2015 after they announced that the 2015 model would be the last one owing to similar reasons as Ford which were to focus more on crossover and electric vehicles. However, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was one that was loved widely among the automobile industry due to its excellent road grip, top-notch power, and due to its raw way of performing which gave a thrill to its users.

Dodge Viper

The Dodge Viper—a beast. As soon as the Dodge Viper entered the market in 1992 manufactured by Chrysler Corporation. It packed a V10 engine and had a 400 hp at 4,600 rpm and 465 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 rpm. There were many different models that came about such as the Racing Edition (Viper ACR-X) and GT2 Champion Edition with variations in its features and specifications. 

The Dodge Viper offered a true sports vehicle experience to its owners, had great handling and different trim levels but the vehicle lacked in safety features somewhat. Nevertheless, it received a lot of appreciation and love from the community and its users. 

It was discontinued in 2017 after a presence of 26 good years in production. The prime reason given was poor sales but, it was rumored that the Viper was not compliant with the safety regulations. However, since it is purely a performance vehicle, such vehicles tend to be less safe than regular vehicles and hence require mastery over race driving, as such, the Viper is one of those discontinued cars that should be making a comeback. 

Chevrolet El Camino

The vintage Chevy El Camino was released in the 1959 and the production continued until 1960. It was produced again from 1964 until 1987 and was a coupe utility vehicle, it was a fusion of a pickup truck and a station wagon. There were five generations in total with different engine sizes. The latest El Camino of 1985 offered a maximum horsepower of 132 and 152 with V6 and V8, respectively. The V8 variant had a 239 lb-ft at 2,000 rpm and had a 3-speed automatic transmission.

In its time, El Camino was known for its great handling and ride comfort because of its excellent suspension. And, as such, the El Camino is an excellent candidate for discontinued cars that should make a comeback. It could be overhauled, compliant with today’s safety regulations, and include technologically advanced features and thus possibly could capture a good market as indeed it was a car beloved by many.

Toyota MR2

The Toyota MR2 was two-seater sports-based vehicle and was produced from 1984 till 2007 and had basic but top design elements. This vintage vehicle came with three generations and special editions including V-Edition and VM180 Zagato. The latest model of the Toyota MR2 had an engine of 1.8L and 138 bhp and 126 lb-ft of torque. It came with 5-speed manual and 6-speed SMT transmissions. 

The MR2 was known for its flawless handling, reliability, and durability. The vehicle had a huge fanbase and many call for a comeback. In 2017, Toyota did express interest in the Toyota MR2 re-done version. In addition, car concept designers have come up with various renders of the MR2 and these look phenomenal and probably make its fans drool. A solid candidate for a discontinued car that should make a comeback.

Volvo P1800

Another vintage in this post, the Volvo P1800 is one of those vehicles that if you one the road, it would surely give you a smile. A well-known and adored one among the vintage car enthusiasts, it was a great car of its time. It was manufactured from 1961 till 1973 and had four primary variants including the P1800, 1800S, 1800E, and finally the 1800ES. It had an engine of up to 1,986 cc, had a 4-speed manual and the 3-speed automatic. The P1800 had a top speed of around 177 km/h.

However, the P1800 would have subpar safety features, reliability, and fuel average as per today’s standards. However, this vintage car can make a comeback after some redesigning to make this vintage car more compliant with the 21st century regulations. 

Chevrolet Avalanche

The Chevy Avalanche was manufactured from 2001 till 2013 and had two generations. It was a unique combination of the Suburban by Chevy and a pickup truck. It was nominated twice for two different awards in 2002 and many other awards with the newer generations. The engines came into variations in the earliest model of the Chevy Avalanche with a 5.3L V8 and 8.1L V8. 

The Chevy Avalanche was a very reliable pickup truck as per a 2020 award albeit it had some issues with the cosmetics in the early generation which was fixed. It was known for its versatility and was unparalleled in its category. This Chevy Avalanche is a perfect vehicle to make a comeback due to its unique design, reliability, off-road competency, and comfortable for long-road.

Conclusion

There are many discontinued cars that should make a comeback, recent ones, and some vintage ones too. Provided that these cars make the required changes, they can do very well. However, many of these discontinued cars had some issues primarily dwindling sales which these companies must investigate the reasons behind, ameliorate them, come up with concept designs, and release them with solid plans. However, it is pertinent to remember that not all discontinued should be brought back into production due to serious issues of safety compliance and other important reasons.