In today’s modern economy, the most creation of money happens, primarily, in two markets: Real estate and automotive purchases. As such, automotive manufacturers work tirelessly to create new models every year for their ever-expanding customer base.
With this constant innovation and change, some creations fall to the wayside and are forgotten by a majority of consumers. This happens for every generation/decade, including the 2000s. To illustrate this point, here are ten cars form the 2000s that nearly everyone forgot about…
10 Hummer H3
As public awareness and interest for climate related issues and pollution are on the rise, it doesn’t bode well for gas-guzzling vehicles and their makers. This change, in turn, has seen the Hummer H3 fade away from most people’s memory.
Nowadays, seeing a Hummer on the road is as rare as seeing a nice sports car (at least it feels that way). They are slow, terrible on gas, and kind of ugly too. No wonder everyone wanted to distance themselves from it so much.
9 BMW 540i
Of all the cars on the road, BMW is, arguably, one of the most well designed and well crafted daily vehicles on the market. That's why it's so surprising that people don't remember one of the best 2000s era BMWs: The 540i
Now, the 540i was, obviously, no M5. However, it was the closest one could get to an M5 without having to spend a ton of money. The 540i had a powerful V8, classic BMW styling, and a comfortable ride. Although they aren't remembered much, at least you can buy them for pennies on the dollar now.
8 Pontiac GTO
After the recession over a decade ago, several companies and small businesses defaulted and ended up being just a memory. Of the businesses that got the short end of the stick, Pontiac would be one of them.
Before their demise, Pontiac made the GTO: A powerful and affordable new-age muscle car. Though, to the upset of Pontiac fans, the GTO wouldn't be enough to save the company. Now, people barely even remember which vehicles they made...
7 Chevy Cobalt SS
Sometimes, forgetting something isn't always a bad thing. It can help humans in several ways, like in mental health, post-trauma, and a potential to rediscover something later. Thankfully, both the consumers and Chevrolet seem to have forgotten about the Cobalt SS.
The Cobalt SS was designed to be a sporty daily driver for everyone from their teenage years to the end of their life. To give the Cobalt SS some credit, it was sorta fast, just not fast enough to be put into history books or remembered after a few years.
6 Pontiac Aztek
Like with the Cobalt SS, there are a litany of vehicles that are better forgotten than remembered. Once again, Pontiac takes center stage agin, except this time it's surrounding one of their worst cars (not one of their best): The Pontiac Aztek.
What is there to say about the Pontiac Aztek? Just taking a single glance at it makes one wonder how the heck that thing ever made it out of a board room. Regardless, it was made, and sold surprisingly well. However, with the fall of Pontiac, it was only a matter of time before the Aztek faded away.
5 Ariel Atom
Hidden in Somerset, England is an outstanding automotive manufacturer; capable of producing (Somewhat) affordable sports cars that mimic Formula One cars and various open-wheel racers. Of course, this is the company Ariel and their famous model, the Atom.
So far, Ariel has produced a ton of Atoms nearly each and every year. Their company began in 2001 with the Atom being their front-running vehicle. Even though the Atom is incredibly powerful, relatively cheap, and super fun to drive, car enthusiasts seem to have a lapse in their memory in regards to Ariel. Either way, more for us!
4 Lotus Elise
Before Lotus was out making small sports cars, they were a dominant and consistent Formula One team. To differentiate a bit, Lotus F1 Team turned into Lotus and they began producing vehicles. In the 2000s, their baby was the Lotus Elise.
The Elise is a small frame, agile, and go-kart like in nature. The Elise raced throughout many motor sports series too, as it was the perfect basis for a race car. Unfortunately, though, few seem to remember the Elise. Although it was a great car, it didn't manage to hold its popularity for long.
3 Lamborghini Reventón
Long before the Aventador was a glimmer in Lamborghini's eye, they decided to make a one-off supercar that would have a lot of the features found on the future Aventador. Since 2007, this car has been known the Lamborghini Reventón.
To help keep the Reventón rare and expensive, only 35 models were made in total. These varied from the standard coupe version to the even more rare roadster. Perhaps the reason not many remember the Reventón is because of this rarity. Since there are so little Reventóns around and Lamborghini is constantly improving upon themselves, it makes sense that the Reventón was eventually forgotten.
2 Saleen S7
Most of the time, American cars are overshadowed by their European counterparts. Companies like Ford rarely live up to the standard/quality of vehicles like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and so on. However, maybe the way to beat them is through a small, independent, company. This manufacturer would be Saleen.
Saleen got their start in tuning and modifications, but decided to make a supercar of their own. The car would be named the "S7," which had two trunks, a huge 7.0-liter V8, and American design. Although, as Saleen is relatively unknown when compared with Ford and Chevy, the Saleen S7 would be discarded to the dregs of car lover's memory for a long time.
1 Mercedes SLR
Once upon a time, Mercedes AMG F1 and McLaren F1 teams were joined at the hip. For many seasons, Mercedes and McLaren were partners in Formula One, but would soon become partners in the automotive industry, too, with the creation of the Mercedes SLR.
As mentioned before, the SLR was a conjoined effort between Mercedes AMG and McLaren to create a powerful and competitive car. Luckily, they succeeded with the SLR being one of the most capable supercars at the time. Though, as Mercedes' and McLaren's relationship deteriorated, so too did the memory of their hard work together.
To this day, few remember that Mercedes and McLaren were once a team. However, the SLR is still an outstanding vehicle that will cost a fortune for the privilege of owning one.