Rust in peace: Automakers ax their struggling models

It's that time of year again, when automakers kill off unpopular cars, when their time on this Earth passes, never to return. So, let's remember the soon-to-be departed:

Acura RLX: A perfectly anonymous car with an equally anonymous name, the RLX is a stark reminder of how far Acura's product development and marketing has fallen from the excellence established by the Legend.

Alfa Romeo 4C: Now that we have become a nation of SUV lovers, where dreary practicality triumphs over fun, pure sports cars like the 4C are overlooked also-rans.

BMW i8: You'd think a gas-electric hybrid as attractive as the BMW i8, with handling to match, would succeed. But $147,500 was too much for a car powered by the Mini's three-cylinder engine.

Buick Regal: This Opel import featured a remarkably unremarkable personality.

Cadillac CT6: With a name only a lifeless marketer would love, this flagship sedan was sabotaged by tepid styling and a cabin far too cheap for its station.

Chevrolet Impala: While car buyers think nothing of buying enormous SUVs, they think twice about buying a large car, even one as good as the Impala. That said, a more inspired design would have helped.

Dodge Grand Caravan: Cheap to buy and very practical, the end has come for this minivan after 35 years as Dodge focuses on performance-oriented products. Its replacement, the Chrysler Voyager, is now on sale.

Dodge Journey: This sad relic of the DaimlerChrysler era is seeing its journey come to an end.

Ford Fusion: While Ford may blame lack of buyer interest with killing the Fusion, the absence of any meaningful update for years has much more to do with it. A sad, self-inflicted end to a well-respected and popular car.

Honda Civic Coupe: While the whole sport compact scene grew out of cars like the Civic Coupe, its time has come and gone. Buyers no longer are willing to put up with inconvenience in the name of fashion.

Honda Fit: Its beauty was its utility. And it was unexpectedly fun to drive, something rarely said of cheap utilitarian cars.

Jaguar XE: Like the X-Type before it, this entry-level British sports sedan never possessed the requisite grace, pace and space needed to steal buyers away from the BMW 3-Series.

Jaguar XF Sportbrake: If you thought that the idea of a Jaguar station wagon seemed a bit off, you were not alone.

Lexus GS: Toyota President Akio Toyoda wanted to kill the GS, never as popular as the Lexus LS or ES sedans, in 2011. Executives saved the car, but sales never improved.

Lincoln Continental: Lacking the requisite aura of the concept car that foreshadowed it, the Continental's fate was sealed from the start.

Lincoln MKZ: This gussied-up Ford Fusion with a crummy name was bound to exit once the Fusion did.

Mercedes-Benz SLC: With buyers ignoring everything except SUVs, this cut-rate convertible is circling the block for the last time, still in need of the upscale élan, space and build quality that its larger siblings possess.

Toyota Yaris: Americans hate subcompacts, especially when gas prices are low. So even though this disguised rendition of the Mazda2 is fun to drive, downsized cars are DOA.