The automotive industry is rapidly changing, and that has been the case for the past few years. With the inevitable death of the internal combustion engine closer than ever, electric cars and hybrids are clearly the future. Furthermore, market trends show the growth of the EV industry every year. Simultaneously, customers lately have clearly been leaning towards bigger cars like SUVs over the past few years as well.
The result of all of this? Well, any automaker worth their salt would follow the market trends, since that is where the money is. Consequently, most automakers, if not all of them, are now revamping their entire lineups, filling them up with EVs and hybrid cars. Sadly, this means the phasing out of some beautiful and iconic cars that have been mainstays in the industry for years, even decades.
Many cars are set to meet their demise this year, owing to either slow sales, decreasing popularity, or because they need to make way for newer, electrified variants. While many cars all over the world are discontinued every year, there are some that hold special places in the hearts of gearheads. 2022 seems to be a year when several such cars will drive off into the sunset and cease production, and here are 10 of the greatest ones we will miss dearly.
10 Ferrari F8 Tributo
The entire automotive industry was shocked when Ferrari broke the news of discontinuing the F8 Tributo. The fact that the Tributo had phenomenal sales last year made it even more shocking, since Ferrari sold 2,265 units of the F8 Tributo in Europe in 2021.
This left almost every Ferrari fan in the world in disbelief, since Ferrari even stopped taking any orders for the F8 Tributo. It is no secret that Ferrari, like every single automaker, is now focusing on electrifying their lineup, and this gorgeous supercar, the last of a dying breed, will be sorely missed.
9 Audi TT RS
The Audi TT RS is leaving as well. A spectacular car by all means, the TT RS has earned legendary status, and sadly, the 2022 model year of the Audi TT RS will be its last in the U.S. While Audi did release 50 units of the car as the Heritage Edition, it will do little to fill the gaping hole the Audi TT RS will leave in the hearts of gearheads worldwide.
The reason for its departure, however, seems to be declining sales. Customers have been flocking to the Porsche Cayenne or the Mercedes-Benz GLE instead of the Audi TT RS, considering both of those cars cost less in 2022. There's also the fact that Audi has announced that they would have a completely electric lineup by 2026, which rings the bells as loudly as possible for the death of ICE-powered cars.
8 Lamborghini Aventador
The Lamborghini Aventador is leaving the building. A sentence we never thought would hurt as much as it does today. One of the greatest Lamborghini cars ever made, the Aventador set the trend for the brand's supercars for the entire 2010s. With over 10,000 units of the Aventador having been sold over its lifespan, the car has been the unofficial king of exotic cars.
After a glorious decade of production, the Aventador is finally being retired. Its final version, the Aventador Ultimae, is the 'ultimate' Lamborghini, a title it very much lives up to. With its replacement on the horizon soon, there is simply no doubt that every gearhead will miss the beautiful symphony of the Aventador's V12 raging through the streets.
7 Chevrolet Camaro SS
General Motors is in the middle of transforming their entire lineup into an all-electric one. Thus, while the departure of the gas-powered Chevy Camaro doesn't come as too big a surprise, it doesn't hurt any less. The Camaro, over the decades, has truly been an indelible part of American automotive and muscle car history.
Now slated to drive off into the sunset next year in 2023, the Chevy Camaro's final model will be offered as a special-edition 'farewell' package as well. While there is news about a replacement, the Camaro SS will be replaced by an all-electric performance sedan, which, sadly, effectively means the death of the Chevy Camaro as gearheads across generations have known it.
6 Subaru WRX STI
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Yes, an absolute icon of the automotive industry is leaving us. Subaru announced earlier this year that the WRX STI would be canceled, evoking nothing but shock from gearheads across the world. While there is a new WRX platform that the brand has, it will not be used to build a new-generation WRX STI which would only be gas-powered.
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With regard to the future of the WRX STI, Subaru has claimed that they are exploring 'electrification' for the WRX STI, which could either mean a plug-in hybrid, a hybrid, or a fully-electric drivetrain for the future of this car. Regardless of the direction Subaru goes, the death of the ICE-powered Subaru WRX STI has hit us hard.
5 Dodge Challenger Hellcat
Diehard muscle car fans and V8 purists better sit down for this one, as Tim Kuniskis, the CEO for Dodge, announced earlier this year that an all-electric Dodge Muscle car will arrive in 2024. If that isn't sad enough, there's also the fact that he confirmed Dodge will cease production of the supercharged V8-powered Hellcat a year prior, which makes 2023 the final year for the Dodge Challenger Hellcat model.
Riding with the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 power unit, the Challenger Hellcat is capable of making up to 840 horsepower, and of course, makes up to 120 decibels of sound. The transition of the automotive world from gas to electric has been coming for a long time, yet it makes it no easier seeing our favorite icons bite the dust and make way for the new guard.
4 Nissan R35 GT-R
After being dropped from sale in Australia in September 2021 owing to non-compliance of changing safety regulations, the R35 Nissan GT-R also shut down sales in Europe this year, after 13 whole years of being on sale. The EU and UK release new regulations regarding engine noises, which the R35 was unable to meet.
The most powerful R35 GT-R from Nissan houses a 3.8-liter bi-turbo V6 which produces 565 horsepower and 467 lb-ft of torque. With no comment made on the future of the Nissan R-35, the one thing we can be certain about is that times certainly are a changing. Bob Dylan, anyone?
3 Dodge Charger SRT
In 2023 next year, Dodge will be discontinuing their iconic gas-powered muscle cars, and they will make way for the electric Charger Daytona SRT. Revealed earlier this month, the Daytona SRT will be an all electric-muscle car. This truly comes as the end of an era, and we're not all that happy to see it come so fast.
Both the Dodge Charger and the Challenger truly symbolized American muscle history, and now to see them history themselves will be a tough task for gas purists and muscle heads alike.
2 Audi R8
The last-engineered V10 car, the Audi R8, is one of the most memorable and historic supercars ever made. Sadly, for its next generation, Audi will be switching the Audi R8 to a fully-electric drivetrain, and the V10 will be no more. This comes with Audi's decision to be an electric-only brand by 2026. After all, they had spectacular sales with their electric models last year, which informed the brand's decision to expedite their electric transformation.
In its final avatar, as a 'goodbye' model, the R8 comes fitted with a V10 with up to 600 horsepower from the factory. There simply is no doubt that bidding farewell to the gas-powered Audi R8 will be tough, considering just how much a torchbearer the German car has been for economic and affordable supercars.
1 V8-powered Mercedes-AMG C63
Mercedes-AMG produce some of the fastest luxury sedans in the world, thanks to the blending of the luxury brand with its racing division. While the brand will continue to make their C-Class C63 AMG variant, they will no longer come with a V8. With emission laws getting stricter than ever, the Germans had to drop their phenomenal V8 engine which has powered the C63 in naturally-aspirated or turbocharged form for what feels like an eternity.
No new C-Class models bearing the Silver Arrows will ever house a V8 again, and only a few models from the G-Class and S-Class series will house the V8. Instead, the new models on the C-Class, and the new C63, will now come bearing a four-cylinder power unit that will be paired to electric motors. Sure, the new models could make around 500 horsepower, but the symphony of a V8 without electrification muddying the waters will be hard to forget.