The Australian automotive industry has taken a relentless beating all through 2020. Sales numbers continually falling, the cancellation of major events (goodbye 2020 Australian Grand Prix and possibly the rest of the F1 rounds!), and the ongoing exodus of multiple makes and models. These are just some of the troubles that the industry has been struggling with.
With everything that's going on, the major industry players should be prepared to face more challenges ahead. Not only are we seeing specific models being discontinued, but the Aussie market has also seen entire lineups leave the country altogether.
Here, we're going to take a quick look at the car makes and models that will be leaving, or have already left, the country for good.
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo, the Italian maker of luxury cars, will be discontinuing two models, the Alfa Romeo 4C and the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
The 4C, which is Alfa Romeo's mid-engine coupe, left first towards the end of 2019. Soon to follow is Alfa Romeo's tiniest and most affordable model, the Giulietta, somewhere in 2020. After just under ten years of being in production, it seems that the Giuletta's departure isn't just happening in Australia. Alfa Romeo is reportedly ending production of this car all over the world.
BMW
BMW seems to be getting rid of its more niche models from the Australian market. The BMW i8's ending was announced a couple of months back in February 2020. This car is BMW's hybrid sports car. After almost seven years since its first appearance in Australia, BMW managed to sell a total of 155 units in the country.
More recently in the middle of 2020, BMW also announced the end of its BMW 6 Series Gran Turismo which had only been around in Australia for about three years.
Chevrolet
Even American muscle cars seem to be making an exit from Australia, like the Chevrolet Camaro. Since its introduction in Australia in 2018, the car went through Holden car factories to convert it to right-hand-drive. The company is blunt about its plans for the Camaro, which includes permanently withdrawing it from the country.
Ford
The Ford EcoSport, Ford's compact SUV, is set to leave Australia somewhere towards the end of 2020. The model's days are numbered, as Ford Australia has imported the very last shipment of these cars. So whatever EcoSports you see in showrooms these days, those are probably the last of their kind.
Holden
Holden has taken its last breath, as some of our previous articles have covered. That means the Holden Astra, Acadia, Colorado, Commodore, Equinox, Trailblazer, Trax, and other models will all be gone in a month or less. Some models were discontinued sooner than the others, but the bottom line is that they are now no more.
Whatever Holdens left on sale are going at steep discounts, so if you're still a fan, you might be able to get your hands on a Holden a lot cheaper now than you ever could.
Honda
The latest-generation Honda City has already debuted overseas but will not be coming to Australia to replace the older generation. Sadly, it seems that the current generation of Honda City in Australia will be the last, supposedly because there's been less demand for sedans in general.
Infiniti
Infiniti, the premium brand in the Nissan camp, has already said that it would leave the country altogether. That means that Infiniti models, like the Q30 subcompact executive hatchback, the SUV QX30 subcompact luxury crossover, the Q50 midsized performance sedan and others will slowly fade away from Australian showrooms.
Jeep
Jeep has announced that it's taking the compact SUV Jeep Renegade off the Australian market. Unlike what happened with the Chevrolet, though, Jeep seems to be keeping their options open for the future. After half a decade in the country, they're supposedly pulling the Renegade because of the weak Australian dollar. Still, they're inclined to reconsider that decision should conditions change.
Mercedes-Benz
While the luxury SUV Mercedes G-Class (a.k.a. the 'G-Wagen'), in general, is still available, the company had removed the Mercedes G-Professional off the market in late 2019. This was Mercedes' rugged G-Class model that came as a cab chassis.
Toyota
Finally, Australia is also saying goodbye to the hybrid hatchback Toyota Prius C. After eight years of being here, Toyota will stop producing this model sometime in Q2 of 2020. Thankfully, this one isn't leaving us without being replaced. Instead, Toyota is discontinuing this model to clear the slate for when the Yaris hybrid arrives on Aussie shores in August 2020.
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By Ray Hasbollah