New car launches make automakers bite their nails. It is these critical launches and the marketing leading up to them that make or break a new car. Manufactures have tried every strategy imaginable to help their new car launches become a success, yet some of them still fail miserably. Do you remember these infamous flops?
Chrysler TC by Maserati (1989-91)
For those of you who remember to Chrysler TC, congratulations because it is one of the worst new car flops in recent decades. Then president LEE Iacocca partnered with Italian luxury carmaker Maserati for this oddly badged, high priced, pseudo luxury convertible. Don’t remember it? That is because there were fewer than 7,000 made and it beared a striking resemblance to the commonplace LeBaron.
Lincoln Blackwood (2001-02)
Ruggedness. Work. Off-roading. These are all words that come to mind when you think of a truck.—and then there is the Lincoln Blackwood. this is one of the new car launches that bit the big one for Lincoln and helped reaffirm their useless rebadging scheme of the early 200s. Only coming in one color (black), having no additional options, and boasting an incredibly high price tag, less than 4,000 of these gussied up and rebranded Ford F-150 were produced.
Chevrolet SSR (2003-06)
Look in the sky, it’s a convertible, it’s a truck, it’s a car—its all three? The only thing you could be talking about is one of the worst new car launches in the last decade—the Chevrolet SSR. Part truck, part convertible, and part hotrod, this vehicle had some potential. It had instantly recognizable styling and was riding the retro trend of the day made popular by such models as the Ford Thunderbird. Alass, the Chevrolet SSR failed to connect with buyers—probably due to its extremely high price (over $40,000).
Cadillac Catera (1997-2001)
A mid-sized Cadillac—interesting idea. The idea was solid enough, but GMs poor execution and build quality of this luxury branded Opel Omega killed its chance. Too add insult to injury with this, new car launches typically rely on sound marketing campaigns, but the Catera did not have that luxury. In a bizarre marketing campaign featuring Cindy Crawford, this was renounced as the “caddy that zigs”—what ever that is supposed to mean.
Thankfully, future new car launches seem to be looking bright. Ford Dealerships in Oklahoma have been seeing positive results with Ford’s latest crop of cars including the redesigned Focus, Fusion, and introduction of the Fiesta. Chrysler, Oklahoma driver’s third favorite manufacturer, has had successful new car launches with their renamed and redesigned cars helping to elevate their status among other car brands.
Time will only tell if brands like Toyota can successfully pull off major new car launches with the introduction of sub-brands and new product lines. They have proven they are able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, so anything is possible.
There are bound to be new car launches than fail miserably in the future. They say hindsight is 20-20, but it seems with new car launches, that may not be the case.
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