Some cars look like they were dreamed up in the board room after some fruitless focus groups and a liquid lunch. Walter White’s iconic Pontiac Aztek is one shining example. They’re not necessarily bad cars, just curiosities. These are 10 of my favourite questionable designs.
PT Cruiser Convertible
You can imagine the thought process at Chrysler when the original was conceived. The new beetle was out, the new mini was on the way. There was a market desire for retro cars and PT Cruiser was their offering. With over 1.3 million sales worldwide it worked, but when I look at the convertible I shiver and wonder, at what cost?
Chevrolet SSR
Jumping on the retro bandwagon of the early 2000’s Chevrolet delivered their SSR, a convertible pick up truck with a performance V8. Unsurprisingly there wasn’t much demand for a factory hot-rod that looks like it should be in a Pixar movie and sales were disappointing. Still I can’t help but feel the SSR’s anthropomorphic qualities have an endearing charm, I mean who could hate that happy face.
BMW X6
The X6 is something of an anomaly, made to compete somewhere between Audi’s A5/A7 Sportback and the Q5/Q7. It is half sports car, half 4×4 and an utterly graceless whale as it lumbers around obnoxiously offending other motorists.
Suzuki X-90
After the success of Suzuki’s capable SJ410 they decided the small SUV sector needed this eyesore. It came with a T-top roof and spoiler, why it was practically a Pontiac Firebird, only quicker.
Fiat Multipla
Think of the other cars Fiat were making in the late 90s, the Punto, Bravo, Seicento and then from way out of left field comes this catastrophe. It didn’t matter that it was a versatile 6 seater, with great visibility and cabin space. There was no getting past those looks.
Scion xB
Youth orientated Toyota brand Scion presumably thought “youth” wanted to drive around in postman Pat’s van, which I suppose I did at 5 years old.
WiLL Cypha
It’s like a Yaris, but from the future!
WiLL Vi
With body panels reminiscent of the Volkswagen Kübelwagen and the rear window of a Ford Anglia this Yaris based vehicle came in a variety of pastel colours, in case it’s appearance wasn’t unpalatable enough.
Mitsuoka Viewt
Jaguar Mark 2 meets Nissan Micra. Ever wanted to pretend you’re in an episode of the Sweeney when you’re really just a junior salaryman in Yokohama. We’ve just the car for you!
Nissan Murano Convertible
An expensive convertible crossover, for the person who has everything but taste.
Some of these cars are embarrassing, but we should be glad that manufacturers are prepared to be bold and take risks with their designs. It’s just crazy to think of all the beautiful concepts that never made it, when these all slipped through.