Every car discontinued in Australia in 2022

Here’s a list of vehicles axed in Australia over the past 12 months – or are on their way out the showroom door.

As one door closes, another opens. And as car manufacturers ramp up launches of all-new models, a number of favourites have been dropped from the local market to make way for fresh metal.

Over the past 12 months, the Australian new-car market has lost fan-favourite hot hatchbacks and popular city cars, as well as manual transmission options for a number of vehicles – and certain model grades of others.

Here’s a summary of the cars that left Australian showrooms – or had their demise announced – in 2022.

Note: This story focuses on cars that had production end, or their last batch of stock arrive in 2022 – rather than their last new example sold (such as the Alpine A110 or BMW i3).

Models due to be replaced by a new-generation vehicle with an identical name are not counted as discontinued on our list – but substantially different vehicles with new names are included.

Is there a car we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments below.

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Fiat 500C (including Abarth 595C)

The convertible version of the Fiat 500 city hatch – and its Abarth 595 hot-hatch counterpart – was a casualty of new side-impact crash safety regulations introduced in November 2021 (called ADR 85), which also killed off models such as the Nissan GT-R and Mitsubishi Mirage.

However, confirmation of the death of the 500C and Abarth 595C only arrived in 2022 – so we’ve elected to include them on this list. Hatchback versions of both cars live on.

MORE: 2022 Fiat 500 price and specs

Ford Fiesta ST

After the model range was slimmed to the ST performance variant only for the latest-generation model in 2020, the Ford Fiesta city car was given the axe for good in Australia in August 2022.

The final batch of cars is due in Australian showrooms in February 2023 – soon after the facelifted model arrived in Australia in June 2022. Production for all global markets is due to end in June 2023, amid declining sales of city cars around the world.

Industry sales data lists 93 examples of the Ford Fiesta ST as sold over the first 11 months of 2022.

MORE: Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST axed in Australia

Ford Focus ST

Axed alongside the Fiesta is the larger Ford Focus small car, available only in ST hot-hatch guise after the standard ST-Line and Active models were axed locally in 2021.

When the axe fell in August 2021, a batch of 40 final examples of the facelifted Focus ST were en route to showrooms – the only facelifted versions that will ever be offered in Australia. Production for Europe is set to continue for now, before concluding in 2025.

Ford has reported 153 examples as sold from January to November 2022 – which encompasses a number of pre-facelift vehicles, as well as some of the facelifted cars.

MORE: Ford Focus ST and Fiesta ST axed in Australia

Hyundai Ioniq

Production of the car that began Hyundai’s move towards hybrid and electric cars ended for the world early in the second half of 2022, as the Ioniq hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric hatchback’s planned life cycle came to an end.

While there will be no next-generation model, the Ioniq name continues on the unrelated, hi-tech Ioniq electric-car family, which currently includes the Ioniq 5 hatch-turned-SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan.

From January to November 2022, 735 examples have been reported as sold.

MORE: Hyundai Ioniq axed in Australia

Jeep Cherokee

Right-hand-drive production of the current-generation Jeep Cherokee quietly ended for Australia in 2022, amid declining sales – and a decision to focus on the model’s key markets of the US, Canada and South Korea.

A new Cherokee is slated for launch in 2024 – however it is yet to be confirmed for Australia, and if it is given the green light for right-hand drive, there will be a large gap between old and new models in local showrooms.

A total of 303 examples have been reported as sold from January to November 2022.

MORE: Jeep Cherokee farewells Australia after almost three decades

Lamborghini Aventador

As anticipated, the final Lamborghini Aventador V12 supercar rolled off the production line in 2022, ahead of the launch of its plug-in hybrid V12 successor in 2023.

The end of production arrived a few months later than first expected, after Lamborghini restarted production to build replacements for 15 final-edition Aventador Ultimaes aboard the Felicity Ace car transport ship that caught fire and sank in the Atlantic Ocean earlier in 2022.

MORE: Lamborghini Aventador global production ends

LDV G10 Wagon

The people-mover version of the LDV G10 delivery van was discontinued in 2022 to make way for its successor, the larger, more technologically-advanced and safer Mifa, which launched in November 2022 with a choice of petrol or electric power.

MORE: LDV G10 people mover axed, van safe for now

Mahindra XUV500

The Mahindra XUV500 mid-size SUV quietly disappeared from the company’s Australian showrooms at the start of 2022, ahead of the 2023 arrival of its replacement, the XUV700.

Mitsubishi Express

The final batch of Mitsubishi Express delivery vans – Renault Trafic vans with different badges and grilles – was produced in May 2022, with the final vehicles arriving in Australia towards this end of the year.

The axing of the Mitsubishi Express – which returned to showrooms in 2020 – came after it was given a zero-star crash-test score from the ANCAP safety body, and what Drive understands to be a fallout between Mitsubishi and Renault over the need for key safety upgrades to the current model.

Over the first 11 months of 2022, 1423 examples of the Mitsubishi Express were reported as sold in Australia – compared to 1369 Renault Trafic vans over the same period.

MORE: Mitsubishi Express van axed after ‘zero star’ crash test, fallout with Renault 

Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn

Drive reported on the closing of order books for the Rolls-Royce Wraith luxury coupe and Dawn convertible in 2022, as the cars approach the end of their life cycles – and the car maker diverts slots on the production line to the Phantom, Ghost and Cullinan models.

MORE: Rolls-Royce Wraith and Dawn axed in Australia

Suzuki Baleno

The Suzuki Baleno was axed after the updated version available in India was not engineered to Australian safety standards – and the current model sold locally ended production.

That’s despite the Baleno being Suzuki Australia’s top-selling model this year – with about 6000 examples reported as sold to the end of November – and the second-best seller in the city-car segment.

MORE: Suzuki Baleno axed in Australia

Toyota Prius

This year saw the death – in Australia – of the car that pioneered hybrid power for the 21st century, and led the way for petrol-electric versions of the Corolla, RAV4 and more today: the Toyota Prius.

Time was called on the Toyota Prius hatchback’s 21-year run in Australian showrooms in May 2022, as sales declined over the past decade – 77 examples were reported as sold in 2021, down from a peak of 3413 in 2008.

A new Toyota Prius has been revealed for overseas markets, with more contemporary styling and a hi-tech interior. But Toyota Australia has elected not to bring it to local showrooms.

The death of the regular Toyota Prius hybrid hatch in 2022 follows the axing of the seven-seat Prius V in 2021, and the Prius C city hatch in 2020.

MORE: Toyota Prius axed in Australia after 21 years

Honourable mention: Jaguar F-Type

Production of the Jaguar F-Type V8 sports car isn’t due to conclude until late 2023 or early 2024 – as Jaguar kills off its entire current model range, and introduces a new range of electric vehicles.

But Jaguar warrants a mention here as 2022 saw the announcement of – and opening of order books for – the sports car’s final model year (2024), examples of which begin to arrive in Australia in April 2023.

So far this year (January to November 2022) 32 examples of the Jaguar F-Type have been reported as sold.

MORE: The last Jaguar F-Type range revealed, priced for Australia

Honourable mention: Kia Stinger

Confirmation the Kia Stinger will reach the end of the road became official in late December 2022, after months of speculation, and contrary to comments from executives.

Production of the Kia Stinger isn’t expected to come to an end until the first half of 2023, and order books remain open in Australia – however we’ve elected to mention it on this list as confirmation of its demise was announced in 2022.

Sales of the Kia Stinger have declined steadily overseas in recent years – but it has grown in popularity in Australia, with 2161 reported as sold over the first 11 months of 2022, up 58 per cent on the same period last year.

MORE: Official: Kia Stinger dead
MORE: Kia Stinger production to end in March 2023 – report

Honourable mention: Volkswagen Passat sedan – for private buyers

The four-door sedan variant of the Volkswagen Passat was discontinued for private buyers in late 2021 or early 2022 – but it will remain available to police fleets.

The Passat wagon – and high-riding Alltrack – remain in Australian showrooms for all types of buyers, which have traditionally accounted for 80 per cent of the model mix

However, as reported by Drive, it remains to be seen if the next-generation Passat range – due in Europe in 2023, as a wagon only – makes its way to Australia, amid declining sales of traditional mid-size large sedans and wagons.

MORE: Volkswagen Passat sedan axed in Australia for private buyers, but wagon safe for now

Manual transmissions and model variants

Cars that have lost the option of manual transmissions in 2022 include:

• Fiat 500 
• Ford Ranger 
• Mazda CX-5
• Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail
• Skoda Kamiq and Scala
• Toyota RAV4
• Volkswagen Golf (for good – read more here)

Specific variants of various new-car models which have been discontinued in 2022 include – but are not limited to: 

• Audi E-Tron 50
• BMW 7 Series V8 and V12 (as part of the switch from old to new models)
• Kia Niro PHEV (plug-in hybrid)
• Land Rover Discovery Sport diesel
• Mazda MX-5 1.5-litre
• Mercedes-Benz A250e sedan
• Mercedes-Benz G400d
• MG HS Core
• Mitsubishi Triton petrol
• Range Rover Evoque diesel
• Subaru Impreza, XV 2.0i base models
• Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid

The post Every car discontinued in Australia in 2022 appeared first on Drive.