In the changing circumstances of the car market, car manufacturers have to reimagine their business models and discontinue a number of cars we became so accustomed to. Last year, Hyundai axed the Azera, Nissan stopped producing the Quest, and even the Dodge Viper met its end. This year and the next year, another five cars are bound to be discontinued. We may search for reasons for ages, but the simple fact of the matter is that these cars don’t sell well enough for car companies to keep them in production.

In an effort to shift focus from sedans and hatchbacks to SUVs, companies are forced to reinvent their lineups. In the world of today, this means that they have to pull some radical moves. Here are five cars that are on their way out.

Ford Taurus Sedan

Ford made the biggest news earlier this year with the announcement it will stop the production of almost every car in its lineup. The only two cars that will stay in Ford’s lineup are the Mustang and the Focus Active (a pseudo-crossover based on the hatchback Focus). And, now, even the Focus Active has been canceled for the U.S. market. Everything else - the Taurus, the Fiesta, MPVs and the Fusion - will die out too. The first in line to hit the chopping block is the Ford Taurus Sedan. It is a big sedan well known in the U.S. for its no-nonsense bearing with the sedan layout.

Interestingly enough, even the Focus Active, which was supposed to remain on the market, wouldn't be produced in America, but imported from China. Trump's Tarif war put an end to that one.

A move like this was promoted after Ford analysts figured out that SUVs are the way to move forward. Ford focused all its efforts on creating a multitude of them (even reimagining the Bronco and the Mach 1). Moreover, the company will manage to do so by saving a lot with the courageous demise of its cars.

“Taurus will live on in history as one of Ford's brightest ideas,” said Leslie Kendall, curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. “A lot of other manufacturers looked at the Taurus and said, 'We had better catch up.”

Read our full review on the 2014 Ford Taurus Sedan.

Chrysler 300C

While Chrysler is really tight-lipped about the possible 300C demise, the rumors from the company definitely added oil to that fire. Produced from 2005 onwards, the Chrysler 300C was a rather nice reinvention of the 300C nameplate. The car sported a lot of Mercedes-Benz tech, and it was properly overhauled a couple of times over the past 13 years. Now, we are sure it will continue in production until 2020, but according to Automotive News, that is the year we will witness its demise.

Chrysler, of course, did not confirm, nor deny this. Instead, an official press representative from FCA said: "The Chrysler 300 will be available for the 2019 model year. We don’t speculate on rumors regarding future product.”

Nevertheless, Unifor Local 1285 President, Jaspal Brar, had a thing or two to say:

“There is nothing official from the company. It’s all been second-hand information, but the 300 is going to be gone and replaced by a CUV. That’s been thrown out there before. But, we’re waiting for something more definitive. We’re anticipating something sooner rather than later.”

Some news do suggest that the 300C may be replaced by a CUV as Brar has said. Others, too, say that Chrysler is preparing an electric minivan called the Portal. It would, apparently, replace the sedan. I am betting the CUV is a more likely option.

Read our full review on the 2015 Chrysler 300C.

Chevrolet City Express Cargo Van

The Chevrolet City Express Cargo Van was never a GM vehicle actually. As a rebadged Nissan NV200, it habituates in a rather strange place on the market, fighting its way against the likes of the magnificent Ford Transit Van and a multitude of other city cargo vans. As tfltruck.com reported, Chevrolet managed to sell only 30,000 examples of the City Express since. All other cargo vans overshadowed it by a large margin. Tfltruck also reports that Ford managed to sell more than 40,000 Transit vans every year. This only shows how huge the disparity really is.

Nevertheless, it seems like poor sales killed off the City Express Cargo Van.

Read our full review on the Chevrolet City Express Cargo Van.

Cadillac ATS Sedan

I always liked the ATS Sedan. Ok, I never really sat in one or drove one, but I wanted to, and that counts for something. It is sized nicely, looks well and sports a whole lot of luxury gear to fight with the likes of the 3 Series and the C-Class. Unfortunately, this wasn’t good enough. Cadillac never really seemed to have cracked this segment, and the sales lagged despite all the effort.

Cadillac official, Donny Nordlicht said: "Production of the ATS sedan is ending due to extensive plant upgrades, expansion and re-tooling to prepare for the next generation of Cadillac sedans. Cadillac's future sedan portfolio will consist of three sedans, positioned in different segments and clearly differentiated by size and price."

Obviously, not a word about killing it off and replacing it with a car with a different name. Nevertheless, the ATS Coupe will continue for one more year, but it will be shut down as well after 2019. I am expecting to see a whole new set of Cadillac vehicles in the near future - including the sedan that will replace the ATS in the lineup.

Read our full review on the 2015 Cadillac ATS Sedan.

Chevrolet Sonic

Only days ago, Holden of Australia discontinued the Barina. The Holden Barina translated into American English means the Chevrolet Sonic. So, will GM do the same with its American version? It is yet unknown, but the thing is that the Sonic experienced a massive drop in sales and the shy upgrades it received for the last year aren’t exactly enough to keep it under the spotlights.

Nevertheless, the Trax is a sort of a running success, and it is attracting a lot of people who would otherwise consider the Sonic. Thus, Chevrolet is obviously focusing its efforts into marketing the small compact crossover. Looking at things from that angle, the Sonic demise seems only logical (and a bit sad).

Read our full review on the 2017 Chevrolet Sonic.