11 new cars and SUVs you probably forgot were on sale

The ILX's detractors scream that it's an expensive Civic, and you know what? They're right. In fact, it's an expensive last-generation Civic. Why buy the Acura when the less-expensive Honda is even nicer these days?

The ILX's cabin is loud, its controls aren't super intuitive to use and it's no better to drive than the less-expensive Civic. This led to slow sales, and we can't really blame the public for not buying the ILX for these reasons.

GoodCarBadCar tells us that Acura sold 3,484 ILX sedans so far in 2018, which for a volume-based company like Honda-Acura, is pretty bad.

Buick has something of an image problem in the US. It's still trying to shake that "cars for old people" stereotype. The Cascada was meant to help change that when it came to the US a few years ago.

Based on the European-market Opel Cascada, Buick's convertible isn't bad to drive and looks kind of cute, but the interior is a mess of bad plastics and too many buttons.

Buick never expected the Cascada to be a high-volume player. Still, when's the last time you saw one?

The Impala is far from being a bad car, it's roomy, comfortable and actually looks pretty nice. But the American large sedan market is dying.

Rumors claim the Impala may be on its last legs, given most manufacturers' (and consumers, for that matter) preference for higher-profit-margin crossovers and SUVs. We asked Chevrolet about this directly and our suppositions were roundly rejected. The Impala is apparently here to stay. For now, anyway.

While the Impala isn't breaking sales records by any stretch of the imagination, Chevrolet has managed to sell 14,067 of them so far this year.

When Fiat reentered the American market with the 500 and its subsequent Abarth and electric variants, people were snapping them up. Consumers have been decidedly less enamored of the 500L, mostly because it's ugly, and not in a fun or quirky way.

Even with a visual refresh for 2018, FCA couldn't pretty up the 500L enough to entice buyers. The fact that it's too big to be extra convenient in a city and too small to be a really practical people carrier isn't really working in its favor either.

Fiat has managed to sell 563 of the ugmobiles so far this year in the US, but we're not expecting multiple-thousand-unit sales by the time 2018 comes to a close.

Ever since the Flex debuted way back in 2008, it's been misunderstood and unloved by most, which is a shame. It looks really cool, and with its 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, it's actually pretty quick.

The Flex, like a lot of the cars on our list, is a model without a real purpose and that lack of direction has only become more apparent in the five years since its last refresh. See also: Lincoln MKT, with which the Flex shares its platform.

Ford has only been able to shift 6,115 examples of the Flex since January. Don't expect an update, either. The Flex is said to be heading to the chopping block in 2020.

The reason the K900 doesn't sell well has nothing to do with whether or not it's a good car -- it is. It's more to do with people's perception of the Kia brand, and the idea that a company known for its budget wares might not be top of mind for full-size luxury cruisers.

In the first four months of 2018, Kia has managed to sell just 131 K900s in the entire United States, according to data from GoodCarBadCar.com.

The upcoming 2019 K900 (pictured here) looks like it's been upgraded in every sense of the word, from improved aesthetics and lighting to an even more luxurious interior, complete with a fancy branded dash clock. Will it be enough to boost sales? We'll see.

The GX is a Lexus-badged version of what's known as the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado overseas. It's a body-on-frame SUV that's kind of a hodge-podge between the Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser. It's an old, outdated contender in the very popular luxury crossover space.

It's not particularly pretty, and the interior is incredibly outdated. The infotainment system isn't stellar and leather isn't standard on the entry-level model -- strange for a Lexus. The GX comes standard with a 4.6-liter V8, which sounds cool, but means it's hardly fuel efficient.

Lexus has sold 7,503 GX 460s since January. That's better than the Toyota Sequoia, at least...

Lincoln is undergoing its own "She's All That" transformation, with vehicles like the Continental and Navigator receiving significant praise. But then there's the ugly-as-sin, Ford Flex-based MKT which, um, still exists.

The old Lincoln corporate grille makes the MKT look a little too much like a wise old owl. The way the rear protrudes so far past the back glass is pretty ugly and the interior is super outdated.

With a starting price in excess of $43,000, people aren't lining up at Lincoln dealers to grab MKTs. Just about the only time we see them in the wild these days is with livery plates, quietly schlepping people around cities such as Los Angeles and New York. Sales figures for 2018 are dismal: Just 783 MKTs left dealer lots in the period from January to April.

Nissan's most recent attempt at keeping the torch lit for Z-car fans all over has been, more or less, a success. 

The 370Z is an engaging car to drive with a stylish exterior and a generally reasonable price, given its level of performance with a base model that starts at just a hair under $30,000.

So what went wrong? Why doesn't the 370Z fly off Nissan showroom floors? Partly because it lacks a few things in its more basic trims that are available for similar money from other brands, such as a real limited-slip differential.

The manual transmission versions have historically had a terrible, heavy clutch, too.

Most importantly, however, the thing hasn't really been substantially updated in years, and it shows -- especially inside.

How many 370Zs has Nissan been able to sell this year? Just 1,243 coupes and convertibles. By comparison, Ford sold 21 times as many Mustangs models, a vehicle that occupies a similar price point.

The Toyota Sequoia has always been sort of a middle child in Toyota's lineup. It slots somewhere in between the smaller, but extremely capable 4Runner and the big daddy Toyota Land Cruiser. 

At first blush, it doesn't seem to have much of a purpose, but what the Sequoia lacks in off-roadability, it makes up for in people hauling.

The Sequoia got a refresh for 2018 with more aggressive styling and some updated tech like Toyota's Safety Sense package and LED headlights, but it doesn't feel particularly new or exciting. 

It's not cheap either, starting at just under $50,000 and ranging up to over $60,000 for the Platinum trim. Granted, that's still like, $20,000 less than a Land Cruiser.

Toyota has sold just 3,688 Sequoias from January to April of 2018. To be fair, that's three times the sales of the Land Cruiser, so it's not bad for a vehicle without a clear sense of self.

Ah, the Beetle. Volkswagen's attempt at capitalizing on nostalgia. It worked for a while, thanks to its funny shape, decent engine options, and silly flower holders, but as they say, "Nothing gold can stay."

The Beetle once offered a unique diesel engine option, making it one of only a few oil-burning compact cars in the US. Of course, we all know how that ended...

Despite a generally positively received second generation, and some cool special editions like the Dune, sales have stagnated and the Beetle isn't long for this world. Volkswagen managed to move just over 5,000 nostalgiamobiles since January.