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24/7 Insights
- Brands like Canoo and Lucid may not survive till 2030.
- Longstanding brands like Buick need help to survive.
- Questions remain about whether Rivian can make it another ten years.
- Also: Discover “The Next NVIDIA”
While many stable automobile manufacturers have been around for decades or more, even more have come and gone. Brand names like Saab, Pontiac, Saturn, DeLorean, and Packard are just the tip of the iceberg of promising automobile brands that ultimately found market forces and competition too much to bear.
The reality of the auto business is that for every Ford, GM, and Toyota, there are a dozen other brand names most people no longer remember. As the auto industry looks to make one of its biggest shifts from gas-powered to electric, it begs the question of what hot car brands exist today that will be dead in five years or less based on our predictions of what we know about the industry today.
Why Does This Matter?
Jaguar can make sharp cars, but that may not be enough.
Competition in the automobile industry is very important as it forces advances in consumer offerings and helps keep overall pricing down. As with many other industries, the more competitors you have in the space, the lower the prices need to be to attract the most customers. Many companies on this list will be brands 24/7 Wall Street regularly covers, making this feel incredibly relevant to our audience. Even more interesting to our audience is whether or not there is universal agreement that any of these brands will be history in five years or less.
11. Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi feels like it's been on life support for years.
- Popular vehicles: Outlander
It’s hard to argue that Mitsubishi is a “hot” car brand anymore, but it’s still a brand that has won the hearts of many through the years. After riding high in previous decades, the company feels like a forgotten brand that hasn’t delivered a stellar vehicle in recent years. However, with sales up in 2024, so far, it’s looking pretty good, but this could just as easily backfire if any part of the company’s marketing efforts fail to land with customers.
10. Buick
Buick's turnaround might be over before it begins.
- Popular vehicles: Encore, Envision
Buick’s attempt to rebrand as a car for millennials looks like it’s succeeded. A revamped marketing campaign that shows young singles driving around town is grabbing eyeballs. With the introduction of three new EVs coming in 2025, it’s possible that Buick could find more signs of life. However, if these EVs fail to deliver, it’s also possible that Buick could find itself dead after 125 years.
9. Infiniti
Infiniti's cars are not catching customers' attention like in the past.
- Popular vehicles: QX30, QX60
There was a time many years ago when it looked like Nissan’s luxury brand with Infiniti could do no wrong. Oh, how times have changed, as you rarely hear anyone excited about new Infiniti models or even owning a vehicle from this manufacturer. Thankfully, mindshare isn’t the only determinant of a brand’s success. Still, it’s hard to argue that with Infiniti only delivering one-fifth of Lexus's sales in 2023, Nissan might say that only selling 32,500 vehicles is not worth the cost.
8. Fiat
Fiat's last hope might be an electric vehicle.
While Fiat may not have found significant US success, it’s been great for European markets. Fiat's smaller vehicles have long been a perfect match for the tight roads in older European cities. However, this good fortune only lasts so long, and introducing the 500e as an EV might not be strong enough to help it avoid the chopping block from parent company Stellantis, which may be forced to cut some brands to reduce overhead.
7. Rivian
If Rivian's next models don't sell, it could be game over for the brand.
- Popular vehicles: R1S, R1T
While Rivian certainly looks like it’s riding high and plays a big role as a competitor to Tesla, nothing is certain in the automobile world. Rivian’s fortunes can and very well may turn on a dime if its next set of vehicles doesn’t deliver. Rivian’s stock might look good, but the market is fickle, and if Rivian’s R2 and R3 don’t deliver big results, it will be challenging to argue that Rivian will cease to exist in five years.
6. Maserati
There is little special about Maserati's cars over other luxury models these days.
- Popular vehicles: Ghibli, Levante
While Maserati might be a luxury brand that exudes style, it also needs help. According to reports, the company has only sold 3,165 US vehicles through July, down 27% from 2023. Stellantis has already been under pressure to see Maserati perform, bringing about the end of the Quattroporte sedan, V-8 engines, and potentially even the Ghibli. If Maserati can’t appeal to drivers with V-6 power trains or all-electric vehicles, Stellantis could be left with no choice but to shutter the brand in under five years.
5. Jaguar
Jaguar has been hanging on by a thread for years.
- Popular vehicles: F-ACE, XE, XF
Jaguar has had its rollercoaster moments of forgetfulness and, at other times, being one of the hottest car brands on Earth. Unfortunately, Jaguar has failed to read the tea leaves and has been watching its sales plummet year after year. The company hopes to go fully EV soon, but the current EV market is trending downward, which doesn’t bode well for Jaguar’s fortunes. Jaguar needs a refresh of its entire lineup to be more stylish and in line with the brands selling well today, like Tesla. Otherwise, it could end up as little more than a memory.
4. Lucid
Lucid's dwindling sales don't sound like they will end well for the once-promising EV company.
Lucid has been struggling to survive, having previously been a refreshing upstart over the last few years as a more luxurious EV not named Tesla or Mercedes. This isn't a good sign for a company that adjusted production down in the previous 12 months, nor is dropping prices by thousands to better compete. Lucid has a great product, and the technology in its vehicles is very cool, but this only works if it can deliver it to more customers, and momentum is currently going in the wrong direction.
3. Nio
Fifty percent of experts predict NIO is heading right toward bankruptcy.
- Popular vehicles: ES6, ES8
Nio, a Chinese multinational electric vehicle maker, has been running hot in China and has since expanded its offerings into Europe. Even though the company has nine vehicles available for purchase and roughly $8.1 billion in cash, there’s still a better than 50% chance the company is heading toward bankruptcy. Lowering the prices of its vehicles as part of a Chinese EV price war has significantly impacted profitability, all while delivering fewer vehicles.
2. Polestar
Polestar's future doesn't look as strong anymore.
- Popular vehicles: Polestar 2, Polestar 3
The Swedish-Chinese automobile manufacturer was formed in 2021 after Volvo and its parent company, Geely Holding Group, spun it off. A February 2024 loan from European and Asian banks was necessary to help Polestar avoid bankruptcy. Sadly, this once-hot all-electric car maker has seen its market and mind share slip away. Geely has enough money to keep Polestar afloat, but its failure to match Tesla Model 3 and Model Y sales numbers might make it think otherwise about continued investments.
1. Canoo
Canoo is the most likely car manufacturer to be out of business in under five years.
- Popular vehicles: Canoo Minivan, Canoo Pickup Truck
Canoo is an American automobile company based in Torrance, California. Canoo strictly focuses on developing all-electric " lifestyle vehicles." A 2020 partnership with Hyundai gave Canoo additional street credibility, but it’s one step away from being on life support. A disappointing March 2024 earnings report sent the company’s stock heading downward, and an August 2024 announcement saw its co-founder leave the company as it became clear that cool designs alone aren’t the only formula for success.
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