Every car being AXED from 2025 as part of all electric era – including ‘Godzilla’ motor & iconic convertible

A HOST of beloved classic cars are set to be axed next year as the all-electric era takes hold.

They include “Godzilla” motor the Nissan GT-R and an iconic convertible as manufacturers shift their focus to electric SUVs.

It comes despite EV sales grinding to a halt in recent months, leading the likes of Ford to temporarily stop production on its electric Capri just a month after launch.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, admitted it might be forced to cut thousands of staff, as well as reduce salaries and potentially close factories in Germany due to a slump in sales across the board.

Fiat has also temporarily stopped production of its 500e at its Turin plant.

The Autoblog has listed every car due to disappear in 2025, including the top 5 performance motors.

JAGUAR F-TYPE

In July, a company spokesperson for Jaguar Land Rover announced that production of the XE, XF and F-Type sportscar had finished

What’s more, the small E-Pace SUV and the I-Pace EV, which are both produced at their Austrian facility, will no longer be produced from December 2024.

However, one model, the F-Pace, will see its production run extended into 2025.

Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO Adrian Mardell revealed at an investor’s day earlier this year that the manufacturer is fully committed to becoming a luxury, all-electric brand.

In a statement to Top Gear, Jaguar said: “As JLR transitions to its electric future, current Jaguar production of XE, XF and F-Type came to an end in mid 2024, while the I-Pace and E-Pace in partnership with Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria will come to an end in December 2024.

“Current F-Pace production at Solihull and local manufacturing for China will continue for the foreseeable future.

“The sale of all current nameplates continues throughout 2024 and in some markets well into 2025.

“Jaguar will begin an exciting new era as a pure-electric luxury brand with vehicle production commencing at our Solihull facility from 2025.

“The Jaguar retail partners, and service network remains fully operational and will continue to deliver unparalleled levels of customer care and attention to our current Jaguar clients.”

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO & STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO

These two high performance twins are also for the chop.

The Giulia Quadrifoglio has always thrilled among the sports sedans with its twin-turbo V6.

While its sibling, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio, boasts a 505-horsepower engine and immaculate handling, stands out among SUVs.

But this is only the end of the line for it’s combustion engine varieties.

Head of Alfa Romeo and Fiat North America Larry Dominique said: “This is the final chance to own a Quadrifoglio with only combustion engine technology as we continue our metamorphosis to an electrified future, but this is not the end of the story.”

CHEVROLET CAMARO

The Chevrolet Camaro’s special-edition Panther proved to be a swansong, with the golden age American muscle car being pulled from production.

A mainstay among high-horsepower American classics, it will be missed by gear heads across the world.

Scott Bell, VP of Global Chevrolet, said:  “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.”

NISSAN GT-R

Nicknamed the “Godzilla”, this motor defined Nissan’s performance line up for years, with its acceleration and handling – but sadly it’s been overtaken by competition more recently.

A Nissan spokesperson said: “13 years after its European introduction as the icon of accessible automotive high performance, we can confirm that European GT-R production will end in March, 2022 due to the new EU & UK drive by noise regulations starting 1st of July 2021 (No. 540.2014).”

TOYOTA GR SUPRA 2.0

The Toyota GR Supra’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder variant will not be seen beyond 2025.

The Supra will only have the 3.0-litre six-cylinder going forward, but with its sibling’s departure, car lovers will have even fewer affordable lightweight sports cars to choose from.

AMAZING TIME TO BUY ELECTRIC

The electric market is currently in a slump as manufacturers slash prices with record discounts.

Carmakers are scrambling to up their zero-emission sales to comply with increasingly tightening Net Zero laws.

The new Government has confirmed it will reinstate the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars to 2030 after former PM Rishi Sunak delayed it to 2025.

Plenty of firms have already self-imposed earlier deadlines to make the all-electric transition in an attempt to stay ahead of the curve.

Indeed, Jaguar won’t sell a new car in the UK for a whole year as bosses prepare to phase out petrol power altogether in 2026.

But every brand is still subject to the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate.

The legally-binding regulations force manufacturers to ensure that a certain portion of their sales are electric vehicles, with the percentage increasing each year up to the total ban.

This year’s requirement is 22%, with firms fined up to £1,500 per car they produce over the limit.

Already, bosses at Ford have said they will have to make fewer petrol models to balance their stats.

However, others are trying to get the EVs flying out the doors by slapping them with heavy discounts.

DS, the luxury arm of Citroen, is leading the way, with an average drop of 35.7% on the 3 Crossback.

That means that new models are cut from over £37,000 to under £25,000, according to data from AutoTrader.

MG isn’t far behind with a 34% dip for the 5 and 30% for the ZS.

Even Tesla, which isn’t bound by the Mandate since it only makes EVs, has dropped the Model 3 from £42,000 to £39,000 in the past year.

Ian Plummer, commercial director at AutoTrader, commented: “That sort of discount finally makes it possible for the consumer to make a rational decision to buy an EV, rather than base it on emotional reasons such as environmental factors.

“It’s going to be very painful [for manufacturers].

“They are going to be selling EVs at a loss in many cases and they will have to arbitrage those losses with the profits they can still make on their diesel and petrol vehicles.”

The only issue is that EVs remain stubbornly more expensive on average than their petrol counterparts, despite the discounts.

This is largely to do with the costs associated with developing brand new electric platforms, rather than re-using already established internal combustion specs.

As a result, brands can only cut prices so much to stimulate demand before losses become unsustainable.

Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the industry body the SMMT, explained: “The ZEV mandate compels manufacturers to produce, but it does not compel consumers to buy.”