Who wants to know the best-sellers when you can revel in 10 of the least popular cars in Britain, many of which struggle to break a thousand units annually.
Manufacturers obviously make a big deal of their best-selling cars (Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, VW Golf – the usual stuff) and can you blame them? But which four-wheelers have, for whatever reason, been more of a lead balloon than a Diane Abbott interview?
Here, from the best worst-seller to the worst worst-seller (still with us?), are the top 10 offenders. Or the bottom 10, if you prefer.
10) MG MG 3
For budget hatchback motoring, MG’s MG 3 is just about acceptable, particularly if served with the grumbly but punchy 1.5-litre diesel, but its rivals are better in almost every other way. Yet it is only the 10th worst-seller, with around 5,000 on UK roads.
9) Ssangyong Turismo
You may know the Ssangyong Turismo as the Rodius. Either way, around 1,000 of these eyesores exist on UK roads, meaning there are 1,000 people who found it too hard to resist buying a five-metre long car for around £20,000. Even if it handles like a London bus with four punctures.
8) Maserati Quattroporte
Maseratis are rather pretty cars, but the poor man’s Ferrari image and some lacklustre driving dynamics have no doubt played a role in poor sales. Estimates suggest a mere 500 of the latest model have been sold and another 500 or so of its predecessors.
7) Mitsubishi i-Miev
The Mitsubishi is also known as the Citroen C-Zero and the Peugeot iOn. Whatever its name, this is a poor-selling electric car that has been outclassed by just about every electric car since then. Somewhat cute to behold, though.
6) Subaru BRZ
The Subaru BRZ is virtually identical to the Toyota GT86 (for now, anyway), but it has sold in lower numbers. Around 500 are said to exist on UK roads, which is odd for such a fun rear-wheel drive sports car a lot of us could actually afford.
5) Toyota Land Cruiser
How the mighty have fallen, in this instance. Once a big seller, the Toyota Land Cruiser now struggles to stand out in a sea of crossover and SUV competitors, virtually all of which look better but are probably less reliable.
4) Lotus Evora
The Lotus Evora is the fastest worst-sellers in this list, but then it is hardly a mass-production machine. The lightweight sports car may be highly competent in corners and a straight line, especially when it has the Evora 400 badge, but it seems Brits would rather go elsewhere because sales are said to be in the low hundreds.
3) Infiniti Q70
The Infiniti Q70 wants to be a rival to premium German saloon motoring, but the Japanese reality is less than flattering. Only around 130 are said to have been sold, which is a shame because the hybrid version ─ complete with the petrol engine from the Nissan 370Z ─ is a bit of a grower.
2) Great Wall Steed
Great Wall who? Yeah, forgive yourself for being unaware of this pick-up thing from China, which happens to be the first Chinese-branded car to go on sale in the UK. It may be cheap, but its rivals are vastly superior. Plus Fiat and Peugeot are about to offer their own respective pick-ups so there will be even less reason to buy one.
1) Hyundai Genesis
There is a chance you have never heard of this car, either. Even less likely is actually seeing one, because apparently only 26 have been sold. Issues with the car include a thirsty 3.8-litre petrol, painful price tag and a lack of prestige. But then if rarity is something you crave…
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