The 1995 Aurora was Oldsmobile’s failed attempt at saving the brand, and the company certainly put up a decent fight. The Aurora had a unique look and build, and a special 4.0-liter V8 engine that certainly made it sound like a great purchase. Oldsmobile launched one hell of an ad campaign, and consumers were super excited. Unfortunately, Oldsmobile lost the fight.
The Aurora was just looks and specs, but in reality, it was just a regular car that was way too expensive for what it actually was. Oldsmobile tried to release a redesigned Aurora in 2001, but they also failed miserably, and the company completely collapsed in 2004.
1975 Rolls-Royce Camargue
Having a Rolls-Royce is having a collector's item, not just a car. The car manufacturer has produced some of the best machines in history, but the 1975 Camargue wasn't one of them. The company wanted to update its old-fashioned image and decided to contact Pininfarina, a respected coachmaker, to help them create a grand tourer that would appeal to younger consumers.
Unfortunately, the company was going through serious economic problems, and by the time it managed to release the car, consumers were unpleasantly shocked. The 1975 Camargue was criticized for its style and standard underpinnings, and to make matters worse, Rolls-Royce jacked up the price in hopes that it would make the car more exclusive. Obviously, this didn't work, and in eleven years of production, it only sold 531 cars.
1980 Chevrolet Citation
In 1980, General Motors was trying to get past the awful disaster that was the Chevy Vega, and so it came up with the Chevy Citation. In theory, the Chevy Citation was the company's first attempt at a compact front-wheel-drive platform. Almost a million people bought the car when it came out in 1980, making it the country's best-selling car of the year. Sadly, the hype didn't last long.
The car's build was disastrous, and very ugly, causing sales to drop dramatically after just the first year. The Citation managed to stay in production until 1985, until they finally, and thankfully, discontinued it.
1998 Ford Contour SVT
The 1998 Ford Contour SVT was Ford's attempt at replacing their Tempo model in the United States market. Although the Contour wasn't a bad car, its very small size and considerably high price tag tanked its sales.
The Contour was long gone by 2000, and Ford had to come up with new ideas to impress their consumers.
2001 Volkswagen Phaeton
The German car manufacturer hit it big in the 2000s when its chairman decided to enter the U.S. market. Volkswagen would take the country by storm, and when it released the 2001 Phaeton, people couldn't wait to drive it. It was a great piece of machinery, but it had one problem - it was way too similar to the Volkswagen Audi A8, and far more expensive.
Not surprisingly, Americans weren't willing to spend over $100K on a car back in the 2000s, and the vehicle tanked. The Phaeton was eventually discontinued.