I saw him build a tall building, and I saw it collapse. Are you familiar with these 10 high-diving cars?

How fierce is the competition in China's auto market?

A car can only be considered to have entered the mainstream market if it sells over 10,000 units per month. More importantly, entering the 10,000-unit-per-month sales club is not safe, as manufacturers must continue to improve product performance, because if you are not careful, you may be left behind.

There have been countless examples of this over the past few years.

91che has summarized 10 models that were once very popular but are now almost ignored, so as to relive the passionate years of the Chinese auto market in recent years.

In the past few years, the biggest decline in the Chinese auto market has been in Korean cars. 2016 was the peak year for Korean cars in China, with Hyundai and Kia's cumulative sales exceeding 1.8 million units. However, from January to July 2024, Hyundai and Kia's sales were only 145,000 units, and almost all models have plummeted.

A typical example of this is the former twin B-class cars of Korean cars: Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5.

Hyundai Sonata first entered the domestic market in 2002. After nearly 10 years of dormancy, the eighth-generation Sonata ushered in its peak era in 2011. It achieved monthly sales of over 10,000 units for 38 consecutive months, keeping pace with Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Nissan Teana.

However, in July 2024, the sales volume of this car was only 937 units, which was completely marginalized.

The development trajectory of Kia K5 is basically the same as that of Sonata. The overall sales volume of this car is not as large as that of Sonata, but it also reached the threshold of the monthly sales club of 10,000 units in 2017. However, this was also the last highlight moment. In July 2024, the sales volume of this car was only 173 units.

Compared with Korean cars, Japanese cars have had a better time, but their market share has been declining in recent years, and naturally there are some models that have been squeezed into the corner.

Take the Honda Fit as an example. In the era of fuel vehicles, this car can be said to be a representative model in the global small commuter vehicle market, with global sales exceeding 8 million units, of which the Chinese market contributed 1.3 million units. At its peak, Honda Fit's monthly sales exceeded 15,000 units, and it also created jokes such as "the civilian jogging car."

However, this car has been under siege by domestic brands of new energy vehicles in recent years, and its sales have been declining. In July, there were only 822 units left, making it the most severely damaged among the well-known Japanese models.

During the peak sales period of Japanese cars in China, some Japanese cars with not so strong performance can also achieve good results. Toyota C-HR is a good example. This car has a short wheelbase, low configuration, average power, and a starting price of 152,800 yuan, but it won 45,390 units in 2021, setting a sales peak, and then fell continuously, with sales of only 157 units in July. At the same time, its sister model Toyota C-HR also sold only 125 units in July.

Of course, the Japanese car brand that suffered the most was Mazda.

Mazda is a small-scale manufacturer, but in 2017 it achieved annual sales of 300,000 vehicles in China. It was once known as the "BMW of Japan". Its main model, Mazda 3, once set a record of 15,000 monthly sales at its peak. Even Tony Leung's magical jokes could not affect sales.

But by July 2024, Mazda 3 sales had dropped to only 1,213 units, and it had completely withdrawn from the mainstream market.

Another joint venture fuel-powered commuter car that was also defeated by new energy vehicles is the Volkswagen POLO, which is positioned similarly to the Honda Fit and is mainly used by young women. Before 2019, Volkswagen POLO's sales peaked, with monthly sales exceeding 18,000 units, but then continued to decline, with sales of only 1,258 units in July 2024.

In fact, the main function of models such as Honda Fit and Volkswagen POLO is transportation. Their uses are relatively simple and the cost of using the cars is not low. Therefore, they quickly declined after the rise of domestic micro and small new energy models.

After taking stock of the joint venture brands, let’s take a look at the “diving models” among domestic brands.

For example, BYD Song MAX, the first model to adopt the "dragon face" design language, was a hit when it was launched, with sales exceeding 10,000 for several consecutive months, threatening Wuling Hongguang's championship position. However, the Chinese market seems to have this Wuling curse, and anyone who competes with it will not end well. This car launched a plug-in hybrid version in March 2022, but it still couldn't stop the subsequent decline. Although this car is still on sale, its sales are terrible, with only 14 units sold in July.

Another car that has dived is the Hongqi H9, a mid-to-large sedan focusing on the 300,000 yuan market. It was launched in August 2020 and its annual sales in 2021 reached 40,343 units. Before the rise of domestic new energy vehicles, it was the only domestic car that could compete head-on with models such as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series, and Audi A6.

But these good days did not last long. Starting from 2022, its sales began to decline. In July 2024, its sales volume was only 488 units, returning to the status of "old Hongqi".

It can be seen that "made in China" is not a talisman, and consumers will not buy cars based on the place of production. In recent years, there are more than one model that has been a representative of domestic cars and then declined. SAIC's MG6 is also one of them.

The weak performance of domestically produced cars a few years ago is still fresh in people’s memory. Not to mention the B-class and C-class cars, even in the high-end A-class car market, domestically produced cars have a hard time gaining a foothold.

However, MG6 is a little different. This car was launched in the fourth quarter of 2017. At the beginning of its launch, its monthly sales were close to 8,000 units. Until 2020, it still had an annual sales volume of 60,000 units. However, after the new car was replaced, its sales volume has been declining. In July 2024, the sales volume of this car was only 151 units.

There are also such cases in domestic new energy vehicle models, the most typical one is Nezha V.

In 2022, Nezha Auto's sales exceeded 150,000 units, becoming the sales champion of new forces. Among them, the Nezha V model contributed 95,529 units, which is the absolute main model, but the sales in July this year were only 24 units.

The sales of these once famous classic models have hit rock bottom, which is due to industry changes and their own decision-making errors, but overall, it is because they cannot adapt to changes in the market situation and cannot meet consumer demand.

While these models are declining, new forces are gradually gaining a foothold. The rise and fall of these models reflects the upgrading and progress of China's automobile industry. Models may decline or even die, but the entire industry is still moving forward.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.