From pioneer to failure

class=”sc-97fd9fa8-0 jNFKxv”>

1. 1979 AMC Eagle

While no one knows terms like off-road station wagon or SUV, American Motors Corporation (AMC) combined both in Eagle. Combi chassis, ground clearance, all-wheel drive, but calibrated for the road – the Eagle was the first 4×4 SUV this side of the Range Rover. The 4×4 came from Jeep because Jeep was owned by AMC. But 200,000 parts in a decade wasn’t enough: In 1987 Chrysler took action and buried the AMC brand.

2. 1999 Audi A2

The “three-liter car” VW Lupo clad in the aluminum robes of the future: the A2 was ahead of its time with its lightweight construction and standard pump-nozzle three-cylinder diesel consumption of 2.99 l/100 km. But customers’ wallets couldn’t keep up: the 3.83-metre car cost more than 30,000 francs—a lot of money in 1999—including the air-conditioning system indispensable in this revolving greenhouse. 2005 was the last, only 6500 were produced.

3. 2003 Honda Civic IMA

Right tech, wrong name: In 1999 Honda had a mild hybrid coupé in the small series with the Insight. The four-door mild-hybrid Civic below could have made a parallel career with Toyota’s full-hybrid Prius – but where Toyota calls it “Hybrid”, Honda only spoke of IMA (“Integrated Engine Assist”). It was therefore slow at first, but later the Honda hybrid was successful – and only Toyota is considered the hybrid pioneer.

4. NSU Ro 80 from 1967

If drivers greet each other by raising their fingers by the number of engines replaced, there’s a problem: The initially immature rotary engine has ruined a car that looks and runs much younger today than it did in 1967. The design of the Ro 80 led to the wedge-shaped trend in the 1980s, but it did not help: it was phased out after 37,000 units in 1977, and with it the German automaker NSU, the rest of which was merged with Volkswagen.

5. Tucker torpedo of 1948

In 1948 the torpedo—officially the Tucker 48—looked like a UFO: Prewar cars were still being built elsewhere, but they had central lights, belts, and disc brakes that steered with them and were then again ignored for a long time. around. But after 51 parts, the rear six-cylinder boxer fell silent. How come? A mixture of very weak fiscal coverage and counter-campaigns by the powerful “Big Three” of the US auto industry – Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.

Source: Blick