Pontiac Aztek

Cause of death

Killed by indifference

Made by

General Motors

It sold roughly a third of GM's own projection in its best year.

The Aztek is the standard reference point for a car that lost an argument with its own committee: a genuinely clever package, including an optional tent, wrapped in bodywork that focus groups reportedly rejected before launch. GM built it for five model years against consistently poor sales. Its reputation was partially rehabilitated by television two decades later, which is a form of afterlife but not a form of production.