From what Nissan would like us to believe, the Altima Coupe will not be missed. It’s done after 2013, likely because no one bought it. Which is odd, because I keep seeing them everywhere.
Something tells me that even though Nissan didn't really release sales figures for the Altima Coupe since it went on sale for 2008, they were primarily sold to men in Southern California. It's like every time I think I haven't seen an Altima Coupe in a while, one speeds right past me. They're actually everywhere, which you might think is unusual for a car being outright killed by its maker. I used to think they were driven exclusively by men in their 20s living in San Diego, but it turns out they're driven by men of all ages living in California – and not in any other state, apparently.
But then this is the case for a lot of cars that only attract buyers in certain cities and then nowhere else.
Photo: Volkswagen
The Volkswagen Touareg is a seriously unpopular car from what is considered to be a mainstream manufacturer. VW shifted just 705 of them last month, just 5,638 so far this year and 10,553 for all of 2012. For the record, Porsche has moved 12,517 Cayennes so far this year. And yet every time I hit up the local Target or Trader Joe’s there’s a new-shape Touareg.
Photo: Nissan
And to pick on Nissan again, what about the newest Sentra? More than 12,000 of them were sold in August alone, and more than 90,000 so far this year. And yet, after driving all over California this year, I’ve seen just a handful of them. Are they so bland to look at that they're just blending into concrete barriers?
So what are the cars that are everywhere in your daily travels that apparently Americans just don't buy? Of course, if you say you see Cadillac CTS wagons everywhere and you live near the plant we shouldn't have to spell out why they're so common in your neighborhood.