• By Matt Hardigree
    Jul 10, 2009 2:00 PM 42,955
    more about

    #topten

    14 Things To Do At The LA Auto Show

    The Ten Most Popular Cars Of 2009: Yahoo! Autos Edition

    Five-Point Frenzy: When Deer Meets Car
    read more: #carpocalypse, #topten, #deadcars, #topkick, #kodiak, #cobaltss, #impalass, #hhrss, #mercurysable, #pontiacg8gxp, #dieseldodgeram, #gtrsedan, #camaroz28, #acuransx, #carpocalypsenow, #top

    Twelve Cars Killed By The Carpocalypse

    The Carpocalypse has meant the end of many storied automotive nameplates, performance variants and others — some before they even had a chance to live. Here's our list of the twelve most important vehicles killed by the Carpocalypse.

    All the important details, including birthday, time of death, and cause are in the coroner's report below.

    Cobalt SS Sedan
    Introduced: 2004
    Time Of Death: May 2009
    Reason: When GM axed nearly every performance trim the Cobalt SS Sedan, despite a small but rabid following, was also on the chopping block.

    Acura NSX
    Introduced: 1990 originally, still in concept phase
    Time Of Death: December 2008
    Reason: According to Honda Chairman Takeo Fukui it's so the company can focus on green technology.

    Chevy Impala SS
    Introduced: 1961
    Time Of Death: May 2009
    Reason: Quite possibly the least likable of the defunct GM performance trims, we won't miss it much.

    Mercury Sable
    Introduced: 1986
    Time Of Death: May 2009
    Reason: Though Ford has high hopes for the new Ford Taurus, they don't want to weigh down the excitement with the Mercury version.

    Camaro Z28
    Introduced: 1967 originally, still in concept phase
    Time Of Death: March 2009
    Reason: The 2010 Chevy Camaro is, so far, a hit. For the moment, coming out with a 400+ HP Camaro while you're creating a new, green GM, didn't seem like a good use of money. We'll always have the SS.

    Pontiac G8 GXP... And Every Other Pontiac
    Introduced: 2008
    Time Of Death: April 2009
    Reason: With Pontiac dead the beloved G8 GXP is no more. Also gone, the beloved Pontiac G8 ST and the beloved-by-some Pontiac Solstice. No one, though, will miss the G3.

    Toyota A-Bat
    http://jalopnik.com/5210418/doa+bat-toyota-hybrid-truck-concept-dead
    Introduced: Concept revealed December 2007
    Time Of Death: April 2009
    Reason: Designed to compete with the not-particularly-popular Honda Ridgeline, the Toyota A-Bat was going to be a car-like hybrid truck. Instead, it died so that more Scions could live.

    Cadillac STS-V
    http://jalopnik.com/140692/between-the-lines-autoweek-on-the-cadillac-sts+v
    Introduced: 2006
    Time Of Death: May 2009
    Reason: Like many other GM products, the every performance trim>SSocalypse also claimed the non CTS-V Caddy performance models.

    GT-R Sedan
    Introduced: Rumored Concept
    Time Of Death: April 2009
    Reason: The longstanding rumors of a GT-R based Infiniti collapsed because, in the business climate, it wasn't a priority. I mean, c'mon, how old is the Altima?

    HHR SS Panel
    http://jalopnik.com/cars/jalopnik-reviews/chevrolet-hhr-ss-part-1-334563.php
    Introduced: 2007
    Time Of Death: May 2009
    Reason: Though a Retro-styled, tubrocharged panel van appeals to us, it wasn't worth the investment for GM.

    Diesel Ram 1500
    Introduced: 1981
    Time Of Death: June 2009
    Reason: With a bankrupt company a diesel-powered light-duty truck isn't a priority.

    GMC TopKick
    http://jalopnik.com/5283259/gm-kills-ironhide-ceases-production-of-topkick-kodiak
    Introduced: 1980
    Time Of Death: June 2009
    Reason: GM's medium-duty truck offerings weren't as crucial as Ford's and, with no super interested buyers, the Kodiak and TopKick finally kick the bucket.


    Send an email to Matt Hardigree, the author of this post, at .