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These are the cars being discontinued for 2024 and beyond

While we get new and updated car models every year, its inevitable that we'll need to say goodbye to some nameplates as well. This time around, it feels like we have confirmation or reports of an unusually large number of vehicles being discontinued in 2024 and the coming years.  We shouldn't be surprised. A large number of automakers are approaching their various target dates for electrification of their fleets. As such, some beloved internal combustion cars are going away, sometimes with appropriate fanfare like special editions. Others are slinking away quietly, killed by slowing sales and changing consumer trends. Of course, the end of production doesn't necessarily mean permanent death. Some of these models could be resurrected in later years ... and probably as an EV. With that in mind, here are the vehicles that are being discontinued in 2024 and beyond.   Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio Alfa Romeo ended the production of its combustion-only Quadrifoglio models in April 2024 as the Italian automaker moves toward an electrified future. This isn't the end of the Quadrifoglio entirely, though, with Larry Dominique, Alfa Romeo senior vice president and head of North America, writing, "I look forward to presenting the next chapter in the four-leaf clover’s journey."   Chevrolet Camaro GM is ending production of the Chevy Camaro after 2024, but is sending it off in style with a CollectorÂ’s Edition. WouldnÂ’t it be cool, though, if Chevy brought it back as an EV?   Chevrolet Malibu Rumors of its demise have been around for a while, but now itÂ’s official. GM will end production of the Chevy Malibu in November of 2024. The assembly line in Kansas will be retooled to build the replacement for the Chevy Bolt.   Dodge Durango The three-row Durango is slated to be replaced by the Stealth nameplate after 2024. The Durango name could make a comeback later, according to rumors, on a body-on frame SUV based on the Jeep WagoneerÂ’s platform.   Ford Edge This is the last year for the Edge in the U.S., with the final unit rolling off the assembly line in April. On sale since 2007, the Edge topped 100,000 sales in all but three full years of production.   Ford Escape Newly refreshed for the 2023 model year, FordÂ’s popular Escape compact SUV is reportedly taking its leave in 2025 in order to usher in — you guessed it — an EV in its place.

BMW Vision Neue Klasse, next-gen Mini due out at Munich auto show

Munich replaced Frankfurt on the global auto show circuit in 2021, and the shift works in the BMW Group's favor — one of Europe's biggest automotive events now takes place in its backyard. The company has detailed the new BMW and Mini models it will bring to the 2023 show. One of the most important unveilings for BMW — and likely one of the most noteworthy cars we'll see displayed at the Munich show — is the Vision Neue Klasse. More than merely a concept car, the design study will serve as an accurate preview of how BMW's entire range will evolve in the coming years. We haven't seen it yet, but we're told it's packed with electrification- and digitalization-related innovations. While the brand notes that the Vision Neue Klasse will be on the road "before long," it's reasonable to assume that the plug-in hybrid variants of the eighth-generation 5 Series that will also debut in Munich are closer to reaching production. Two models called 530e xDrive and 550e xDrive are due out in spring 2024, though it's too early to tell whether we'll see them on our shores. The former uses a hybrid system built around a four-cylinder engine, while the latter benefits from a straight-six. In both systems, the electric motor is integrated into an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 530e and the 550e put 299 and 489 horsepower, respectively, under the driver's right foot. BMW notes that integrating the 19.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack into the 5's underbody lowers the center of gravity while keeping trunk space intact. The 530e can drive for up to 63 miles on electric power, a figure that drops to 56 miles for buyers who select the 550e, though both numbers were achieved on the optimistic WLTP testing cycle used in Europe. Both cars come with a 7.4-kilowatt charger. Mini will unveil two new models at the Munich show: the next-generation Cooper (which replaces the Hardtop, or the Hatch if you're reading this from the United Kingdom) and the next-generation Countryman. Both models will be available with gasoline or electric power. We've seen the Hardtop's new-look interior in official images, it notably loses the outgoing model's instrument cluster and gains a round OLED screen in the middle of the dashboard, and we've seen the little hatchback undisguised in spy shots. Spy shots have also revealed the next-generation Countryman, which wears a boxier-looking exterior design and seemingly grows in size, before the official unveiling in Munich.

2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works First Drive | Personality at a price

An abundance of power isn’t typically associated with products named Mini Cooper. Even the John Cooper Works (JCW) editions have most recently been making do with 228 horsepower from their turbocharged four-cylinder engines. ThatÂ’s plenty to feel quick and sprightly, but drag races still havenÂ’t been kind to high-performance Minis. Things are different with the 2020 Mini Clubman John Cooper Works. It has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes a rowdy 301 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque. ThatÂ’s good for a 0-60 mph run of just 4.6 seconds, which is sufficiently spicy for our tastes. This being the Clubman, itÂ’s more of a pocket rocket that doesnÂ’t quite fit in your pocket. Its four doors and quirky barn door hatch opening gives it far more utility than the much smaller two- and four-door Hardtops. Still, the Clubman is a small car, based off a BMW platform that underpins a variety of BMW Group front-drive-based cars and SUVs. From a size and shape perspective, itÂ’s most like the BMW X2. The quick X2 M35i and JCW Clubman even share an engine. As weÂ’ve come to expect from John Cooper Works Minis, this new one is full of performance extras. The new engine has a stronger crankshaft, new pistons, connecting rods and a lower compression ratio (10.2 to 9.5) to better suit the increased boost pressure. A larger turbocharger is also fitted with a blow-off valve that Mini says contributes to its better response. The much more powerful engine is paired with a new JCW-specific exhaust that is livable when driving conservatively, but raucous and in your face once you dip into the throttle a little deeper. As standard, the JCW Clubman is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission that brings launch control with it. No manual is available, and thatÂ’s a shame. Mini has kept the stick shift around for longer than many car companies, and its absence from the enthusiast-focused JCW Clubman is a big disappointment. ThereÂ’s a mechanical limited-slip differential up front integrated with the automatic transmission, allowing torque to be shifted from one wheel to the other should one begin to slip. On top of that, the JCW Clubman also comes standard with all-wheel drive. Like all-wheel drive Minis before it, if the front wheels are short on traction, power is instantly transferred rearward, but power is sent to the front as often as possible for efficiencyÂ’s sake.