The long production runs of automotive legends like the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Mustang, or the ever-unique Volkswagen Beetle have made those models familiar to just about everyone. However, there are also plenty of vehicles that seemed promising to engineers and marketing executives but never made it to dealerships, or in some cases, even to the assembly line. Some were ahead of their time, others were notably behind, and still more were scuttled when the accounting departments realized they weren't going to be profitable.
Plans for others were scrapped when public opinion was measured and determined to be unfavorable. Manufacturers aren't known for their infallible judgment and have produced more than a few contenders for the worst cars ever made . Some of the models listed here may have narrowly avoided inclusion on that list, while others could have been gems that narrowly missed their chance at classic status.
Let's take a look. [Featured image by Morio via Wikimedia Commons |Cropped and scaled| CC-By SA 4.0 ] Occasionally, a model doesn't make it to market because an entire car company goes under, as was the case with the Pontiac G8 ST.
The GM division unveiled the sleek ute at the 2008 New York Auto Show with the intention of releasing it as a 2010 model, but Pontiac shut down in Spring 2009 as part of GM's bankruptcy reorganization. Utes like the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino had been popular in America decades before, but they had largely disappeared from domest.
