2008's Worst Selling Cars in the UK

Times are hard in car showrooms across the land but some sales teams are fairing worse than others.

And if things are grim now they look to get worse before they get better, with the SMMT forecasting a 10% drop in sales for the remainder of the year.

So who's really feeling the pain? Well, when compiling the 10 worst selling cars in the UK we've looked beyond the bald figures - after all Rolls Royce is clearly going to sell fewer cars than Ford but they operate in totally different ballparks. Instead we've picked out cars that are selling badly compared with direct rivals.

If you're into stats the figures are fascinating too, with gems like the fact with 630 sales in the year to date the Audi R8 actually outsold the Subaru Legacy, Nissan 350Z and Mercedes GL to name but a few. Here though is a selection of 10 cars who really should just give up and go home if the sales figures for this year are anything to go on.

1: Maybach 57/62: 1 sale so far in 2008

If Maybach is aiming for exclusivity it's going the right way about it, the sum total of its sales so far in 2008 amounting to ... one car. Whether it's the credit crunch, a rare attack of eco awareness or simply the realisation that money don't buy taste, the Mercedes-derived über-limo hasn't exactly got super-rich buyers queuing up.

It's not like there isn't a market for six-figure limos either, Rolls-Royce selling 146 Phantoms over the same period. All rather embarrassing for parent company Mercedes, which, as our Tom found out recently, has a rank of the cars lurking in a back lot at its flagship Brooklands sales outlet. Pop along and see what kind of deal they'll offer...

2: Cadillac Escalade - 8 sold so far in 2008
From food to TV shows and music, we love all things American. All things? Not quite. US cars still haven't managed to crack the European car market and you'll find famous stateside brands languishing right at the bottom of our sales charts. Brands like Cadillac, once the very embodiment of transatlantic motoring style.

The BLS is the brand's big seller with, um, 57 sales in the year to date. But the biggest booby prize goes to that symbol of American excess, the Cadillac Escalade. Just eight of these tasteless leviathans have found homes so far. So if you fancy rolling with Westwood you'll be in a very exclusive posse indeed.

Find out after the jump where the VW Phaeton, Lexus SC and Hummer H3 fit in...
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david999 - 9/19/2008 9:36:41 AM

+2 Boost

Lets be fair, how mant Cadillac or Lexus dealers are there in the UK compared to mercedes or VW dealerships?

kpaxx - 9/19/2008 10:37:55 AM

+4 Boost

but there would be more lexus dealerships in the UK if they were actually in demand? N'est-Ce Pas?

bitschaser - 9/19/2008 10:54:44 AM

+4 Boost

There are plenty of Lexus dealers, but I don't think they ever got the same prestige in the U.K. as it does in the U.S. and people still see it more as a nice Toyota. Cadillacs are never going to sell well in the U.K. because, well, they're pretty rubbish, gas-guzzling piles of cheap plastic.

Rupert - 9/19/2008 12:32:00 PM

+2 Boost

There are many Lexus dealers in Britain - fewer than Merc, Audi or BMW, true, but not by that much.

CommonSense01 - 9/19/2008 2:05:43 PM

0 Boost

Im no fan of the Esacalade, anyone can call it trashy or whatever they like but to make things fair, England loves the Range Rover. Although it looks ok outside (same design last 20 years), and has a very nice interior, thats all irrelvant because it is absolutely the biggest pile of junk there is. Land Rover is classified as the most unreliable vehicle in the United states. I had one in the family myself a while back, at 10k the air conditioning completely broke. At 22k miles, the padding started comming off the door completely. At 45k, the transmission had completely failed and needed to be replaced. So what would you rather have, something that has a little better intior to the touch but doesnt leave the repair shop or something that is virtually bullet proof but lacks the better materials because of its 30 thousand dollar price difference. Smarten up clowns

Carboy - 9/19/2008 4:16:05 PM

+1 Boost

I remember renting an Escalade in Florida. I adored it's performance in overtaking and the styling that gives you attention. But let's be honest: The transmission is quite jerky (Down two gears, up two gears for no reason). When it rained like hell the windsheld wipers could not keep up at all and the seats compared to it's main competitor the Lincoln Navigator. I am also suprised that people only buy it for the name and pop culture. It has no room in the back due to no independent rear suspension and there is no Captain's Chairs. If I had to choose between a Navigator and an Escalade, I'd take the Navigator. Besides, why the extra $10,000 Premium. Given one as a gift I'd love it; If I bought it with my own money............NO!

notafanboy - 9/19/2008 12:20:57 PM

+1 Boost

I agree. They say that Rolls sold 146 Phantoms in the section about the Maybach which, a number that is less then the sales of 3 cars on the list, and it is not included.

Rupert - 9/19/2008 12:30:51 PM

+4 Boost

But the fact is a £250,000 Rolls Royce outsells cars costing a 10th of its price, like the H3.

Agent63 - 9/19/2008 11:24:45 AM

0 Boost

This is a dumb article.

Regarding the comment about "money not buying taste". It's so exclusive it's not for the average Joe. Who knows how many they get to begin with. If they get only a few a year so that conversion rate is comparative to brands that make more and sell more. I think the Maybach is very nicely built and the most luxurious barge I've had the pleasure of sitting in at a car show. I love Bentley's and I love the Phantom but the Maybach 62 is on an entirely different level. If you haven't sat inside one then you can't say it's a bad car.

JUGNU - 9/19/2008 12:50:44 PM

0 Boost

Agent63, Maybach is nothing but a jumbo S class.
Infact i think S65 AMG is better car than the Mayabch.
Maybach can't match the prestige of Rolls Royce and it shows, 1 Maybach sold, that's so funny.

JUGNU

Agent63 - 9/19/2008 10:11:19 PM

-1 Boost

Jugnu have you ever sat inside one of those Maybach's? The only reason you may think it can't match in prestige is you see more of them and have grown to like them. Maybach's are rare and how many have you seen? I've seen only one and that's in a car show. There are cities like Monaco, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Dubai and other very prestigious places in the world where these cars are viewed highly. Their not meant for the hustle and bustle of North America.

The S65 is a beautiful car and I like a lot but in terms of luxury it can't come close. The leg room alone and the gadgets and comfortable seats come only with the Maybach. Hell, the car even inspired Lexus to do that Maybach-inspired rear seating arrangement. Don't tell me that's a unique Lexus design.

You can't say the Maybach is just a jumbo S Class. It's like saying the Phantom is just a 7 series BMW and the Flying Spurr is just a Audi A8 L with different outer shells.

Rupert - 9/20/2008 8:55:35 AM

+4 Boost

The Maybach is awful. We Europeans think so too. A tasteless, ugly monstrosity. The fact they only sold 1 in the UK shows this.

Rennsport - 9/19/2008 2:03:11 PM

+2 Boost

The Phantom looks just as tacky as the Escalade in my opinion. I like the Maybach because its not so bling.

CommonSense01 - 9/19/2008 2:07:01 PM

0 Boost

THANK YOU. i also dont understand. If you call a Escalade tacky, then a phantom also fits that description.

Agent63 - 9/19/2008 10:12:29 PM

0 Boost

Phantom screams prestige in a subtle way. The interior is where the car really shines.

CommonSense01 - 9/20/2008 3:57:16 PM

0 Boost

Agent 63

A phantom definetly screams, just not prestige. People with serious money (im not tlking about hollywood actors with a couplke of million) do not buy this car. Its to tacky. Ive been working on park ave in NYC for a couple of years now, the average townhosue is cose to 15 millin, but most in the 30+ milliondolla range. None of those people drive phantoms, NONE. Its certanly not the money issue, becuase thats pocket change for them, its becaue every Rapper on mtv cribs skips child support payments in order to lease one of these for 4 thousand a month.

S4cabriofoxone - 9/21/2008 1:29:34 AM

+1 Boost

"Phantom screams prestige in a subtle way."

Well this is just about the most contradictory statement I have ever seen.

The Phantom is ugly as hell but is somehow a work of art.

Carboy - 9/19/2008 4:17:52 PM

+1 Boost

Someone actually bought a SsangYong?

StickShiftCamry - 9/20/2008 11:40:50 PM

+1 Boost

Maybach is all over NY - its soo all over NYC and so many limo companies have it that someone close to me got the pleasure to drive one of the company cars and told me about the torque. It's a nice car arrite.