COVID-19 dealt a serious blow to the U.S. auto industry last year. Americans bought 14.7 million vehicles in 2020, the fewest in a decade and a 16% decline from the previous year. The pandemic, however, was likely not entirely to blame for the decline. U.S. auto sales have declined in two of the previous three years, after seven straight years of growth.
The decline in sales in 2020 was led by steep drops in sales of certain car models as American drivers continued to shift to crossovers and SUVs from sedans and compacts. Almost all of the slowest selling cars today are in one of those two categories.
To determine the cars disappearing the fastest, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed information from auto sales data company GoodCarBadCar, which sources data directly from manufacturers, on the vehicles that had the largest percentage sales decline from 2015 to 2020. We excluded vehicles that reported fewer than 1,000 sales in the U.S. in 2020. Sales of dozens of vehicles were down by more than 50% in the last five years, with a handful falling by more than 80%.
A decline in sales for a particular vehicle does not necessarily mean Americans have lost interest in it. In some cases, 2020 was the last year of the current generation of a model, and buyers loyal to the brand were waiting for the new generation. In many cases, sales of the vehicles on this list declined because the model has been discontinued.
In a few cases, a model is discontinued because the automaker plans to release a more modern vehicle in the same class, but usually cars are discontinued because people have lost interest in the model.
Many of the vehicles on this list are being slowly phased out after failing to catch on with American car buyers, likely due in part to poor reviews. In fact, two of the cars on this list were among the worst-reviewed in recent memory. These are some of the worst cars introduced in the last 10 years.
25. Kia Sedona
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -64.1%
> Total 2015 sales: 36,755
> Total 2020 sales: 13,190
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
24. Volkswagen Golf
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -66.4%
> Total 2015 sales: 65,308
> Total 2020 sales: 21,927
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
23. Nissan Versa
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -66.6%
> Total 2015 sales: 144,528
> Total 2020 sales: 48,272
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
22. Subaru Impreza *
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -68.3%
> Total 2015 sales: 66,785
> Total 2020 sales: 21,178
> Parent company: Subaru Corp.
21. Toyota Sienna
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -68.8%
> Total 2015 sales: 137,497
> Total 2020 sales: 42,885
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
20. Chrysler 300
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -69.0%
> Total 2015 sales: 53,109
> Total 2020 sales: 16,473
> Parent company: Stellantis
19. Jaguar XJ
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -69.0%
> Total 2015 sales: 3,611
> Total 2020 sales: 1,118
> Parent company: Tata Motors
18. Toyota Avalon
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -69.3%
> Total 2015 sales: 60,063
> Total 2020 sales: 18,421
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
17. Kia Optima
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -69.6%
> Total 2015 sales: 159,414
> Total 2020 sales: 48,484
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
16. Volkswagen Passat
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -70.6%
> Total 2015 sales: 78,207
> Total 2020 sales: 22,964
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
15. Lexus IS
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -70.7%
> Total 2015 sales: 46,430
> Total 2020 sales: 13,600
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
14. Mazda 6
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -72.0%
> Total 2015 sales: 57,897
> Total 2020 sales: 16,204
> Parent company: Mazda Motor Corp.
13. Audi A3
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -72.4%
> Total 2015 sales: 35,984
> Total 2020 sales: 9,938
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
12. Nissan 370Z
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -73.5%
> Total 2015 sales: 7,391
> Total 2020 sales: 1,955
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
11. Hyundai Accent
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -74.0%
> Total 2015 sales: 61,486
> Total 2020 sales: 15,975
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
10. Lexus RC
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -74.2%
> Total 2015 sales: 14,784
> Total 2020 sales: 3,808
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
9. BMW 6-Series
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -75.9%
> Total 2015 sales: 8,146
> Total 2020 sales: 1,960
> Parent company: BMW Group
8. Chevrolet Sonic
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -79.9%
> Total 2015 sales: 64,775
> Total 2020 sales: 13,007
> Parent company: General Motors
7. Kia Cadenza
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -82.8%
> Total 2015 sales: 7,343
> Total 2020 sales: 1,265
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
6. Fiat 500X
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -84.7%
> Total 2015 sales: 9,463
> Total 2020 sales: 1,444
> Parent company: Stellantis
5. BMW i3
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -86.4%
> Total 2015 sales: 11,024
> Total 2020 sales: 1,502
> Parent company: BMW Group
4. Buick Regal
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -87.2%
> Total 2015 sales: 19,504
> Total 2020 sales: 2,493
> Parent company: General Motors
3. Lexus GS
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -88.9%
> Total 2015 sales: 23,117
> Total 2020 sales: 2,560
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Corp.
2. Chevrolet Impala
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -91.5%
> Total 2015 sales: 116,825
> Total 2020 sales: 9,943
> Parent company: General Motors
1. Cadillac XTS
> Pct. sales decline from 2015-2020 -94.8%
> Total 2015 sales: 23,112
> Total 2020 sales: 1,200
> Parent company: General Motors