4 Cars That Were Discontinued Before They Even Rolled Off The Factory Floor

The long production runs of automotive legends like the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Mustang, or the ever-unique Volkswagen Beetle have made those models familiar to just about everyone. However, there are also plenty of vehicles that seemed promising to engineers and marketing executives but never made it to dealerships, or in some cases, even to the assembly line. Some were ahead of their time, others were notably behind, and still more were scuttled when the accounting departments realized they weren't going to be profitable. Plans for others were scrapped when public opinion was measured and determined to be unfavorable.

Manufacturers aren't known for their infallible judgment and have produced more than a few contenders for the worst cars ever made. Some of the models listed here may have narrowly avoided inclusion on that list, while others could have been gems that narrowly missed their chance at classic status. Let's take a look.

[Featured image by Morio via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-By SA 4.0]

Occasionally, a model doesn't make it to market because an entire car company goes under, as was the case with the Pontiac G8 ST. The GM division unveiled the sleek ute at the 2008 New York Auto Show with the intention of releasing it as a 2010 model, but Pontiac shut down in Spring 2009 as part of GM's bankruptcy reorganization. Utes like the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino had been popular in America decades before, but they had largely disappeared from domestic dealerships by the late 1980s. 

The G8 ST, or "Sport Truck," was based on the Holden Commodore, an Australian model that had sold well in a market that was quite fond of utes. The concept version invoked memories of the El Camino SS, with a 6.0-liter V8 capable of 361 horsepower. A more economical 3.6-liter V6 would have also been available. The G8 ST never saw production, and the last Pontiac ever made ended up being a black 2010 G6 sedan.

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Nissan's MID4 never made it to the production stage, but several elements from the mid-'80s beast found their way into other Nissan sportscars. The MID4 was exhibited at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show as a concept car, but it was pretty much ready to be sold at that point. It had all-wheel drive and steering systems that later appeared in the Skyline GT-R, and it was powered by the VG30DE V6 that sat under the hood of the 300ZX. In the MID4, the engine was mounted behind the driver, hence the name.

The original MID4 design was reminiscent of other mid-engine cars of the era like the Lotus Esprit and Toyota MR2. The MID4 II was unveiled at the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show and had a design similar to the Honda/Acura NSX. Its engine was the VG30DETT, the twin-turbo version of its predecessor's V6 that put out 325 horsepower. Although the MID4 never made it to dealerships, you can drive virtual versions in the classic video games Sega GT 2002 and Sega GT Online.

[Featured image by Morio via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-By SA 4.0]

The Skoda brand may not be familiar to some American consumers, but the Czech carmaker has a history stretching back to 1895, when Vaclav Klement and Vaclav Laurin started the company as a manufacturer of bicycles. They soon expanded to motorcycles before building their first car in 1905, leading to some success in rally racing later on. Volkswagen bought a controlling interest in the company in 1991, and Skoda introduced the Roomster MPV in 2006. Its compact, boxy design with plenty of glass gave it a greenhouse-like appearance. 

The Roomster was versatile and efficient, and sales peaked in 2007 but fell off in the ensuing years. Plans were in the works for a second-generation version in 2015 based on the Volkswagen Caddy, but they never came to fruition. About 100 production-quality prototype second-gen Roomsters were built. American buyers who like the look of the Roomster can buy a Volkswagen Caddy California, a ready-to-go camper van complete with fold-out bed, blackout curtains, and other modern amenities.

[Featured image by Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-By SA 4.0]

Hyundai wasted a lot of time, money, and effort on the Portico, a 2005 concept car that landed in the unoccupied zone between crossover, minivan, and MPV. Hyundai unveiled it at that year's Chicago Auto Show, with a panoramic glass roof and configurable seating for up to six adults. Hyundai promised that the production version would be available with a hybrid all-wheel drive system in 2010, but the closest the Portico ever came to market was a prototype version that Car and Driver spotted in 2008. The magazine speculated that the Portico might have been included in the offerings for Hyundai's proposed luxury division, but that plan was shelved right around the same time.

The upscale minivan never found its way to the assembly line, likely due to the global recession that hit a couple of years before its planned debut. Hyundai's decision to scuttle the Portico seems to have been a solid one when you look at the trajectory of the Mercedes R-class, another premium crossover. Sales of that model in the U.S. and Europe peaked around 2006 and took a sharp downturn, along with the world's economy, in the years immediately afterward.