Biggest Automotive FAILS of 2012

[AZhitman]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahellio ... -the-year/

Enjoy!

[Bubba1]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahellio ... -the-year/

Enjoy!

Interesting list, but I think the author's view of what constitutes a flop seems inconsistent. For example, but some of the models had decent sales numbers which would not necessarily make them flops. Forbes ripped the Mini Coupe's looks and Honda's step backward with the Civic, but at the end of the day, enough were probably sold to not make them flops.

i also think Forbes had the wrong Nissan on the list. the Murano Crosscabriolet flopped far worse than the Leaf.Leaves generated buzz while Cabrio's gathered dust on dealer lots and generated a unaminous "WTF were they thinking" the same as the ZDX.

[RicerX]

Interesting list, but I think the author's view of what constitutes a flop seems inconsistent.

I have to agree with many of your points. Fairly inconsistent article. Although - they nailed the first pic you see at all - the Mitsu iMiEV. WTF. Is that. A bunch of dumb crossovers - on point!

I don't think the Leaf is a flop at all. It was a bold step in the direction of fully electric vehicles - Nissan made the first fully electric vehicle that was mass produced and affordable for the average bear.

Think of it this way - no one wanted/needed a cell phone until they were small enough to fit in your pocket. They started out being the size of a VCR. Once they got smaller and more affordable, people bought them. The first affordable electric car goes only 90 miles on a single charge. Guess how many they're going to sell when they get a 400 mile range? You have to start somewhere. I think the Leaf was the most ignorant entry on the whole list.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

the Murano Crosscabriolet flopped far worse than the Leaf.

Seriously... how did they ignore that elephant in the room?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Why the s*** are they talking to a Vanity Fair author about automobile successes?

The ForTwo is on their list, but they only hit ONE of the reasons for its lack of success (the transmission). They missed the biggest one: the car does NOTHING WELL. Not even fuel economy. Who the Hell wants a car that's insanely small, goofy-looking, has no storage space, shifts like it's broken, doesn't like highway speeds, doesn't handle well, doesn't ride well, with fuel economy comparable to midsize sedans?

I hate automatics and FWD, but if there was EVER a place for them, it's in something like the ForTwo. Toyota clearly understands this better than Mercedes-Benz and Swatch, and the iQ is ten times the car the Smart is.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

You know something is wrong when the competition for your vehicle includes a bicycle.
...and the bike does some things better.

[AZhitman]

This can, and will, turn into a brutally scathing response to the Editor.... Carry on.