With the shift to electric vehicles accelerating at a pace, brands are axing some well-known and much-loved internal combustion engine models to make way for a new wave of EV replacements.
And the year 2025 has claimed some monumental automotive scalps.
From upmarket superminis to legendary roadsters, some notable automotive icons have been put to the chopping block in the last 12 months.
One of these killed-off-cars is a huge favourite among UK drivers.
Some 12million examples of this evergreen motor have been produced in total. It was Britain’s most-bought new model for a decade stretch and there are still over 1.3 million registered today.
Here’s a look at six extremely significant motors that have been long-time fixtures on our streets and driveways but have either been butchered in 2025 or confirmed for the cull in 2026…
1. Ford Focus (1998-2025)
Out of focus: Ford confirmed production of the much-loved Focus came to an end on Friday 14 November after 27 years of continuous outputs
The Focus first arrived in 1998 and became an instant hit for its dashing looks, practical interior, brilliant drive and affordable price
One of Britain’s favourite cars of the last three decades is officially no more!
The last Ford Focus rolled off the production line on 14 November, bringing to an end a 27-year lifecycle for one of the nation’s most-loved family motors.
Having amassed over 12 million global sales since hitting showrooms in 1998 as the direct replacement for the Ford Escort, the Focus hatchback is the second most common car on our roads (behind the Fiesta, which was axed two years earlier).
When it was announced that Focus outputs would be halted in 2025, a spokesman for the car firm told us: ‘We remain committed to serving our Focus customers with ongoing service, parts, and support.’
Having launched in 1998, the Focus won European Car of the Year in 1999. Prince William was pictured learning to drive in one the same year.
The Focus quickly cemented itself as the nation’s favourite car for a decade.
It topped the new car sales charts for 10 consecutive years from 1999 to 2008. It was dethroned by the Fiesta – which then held the crown for the next 12 years.
2. Audi A1 (2010-2026)
The Audi A1 debuted in 2010 to be a premium supermini rival to the Mini hatchback and VW Polo
The compact Audi spawned one of the greatest modern era exclusive hot hatches: the staggering all-wheel-drive A1 Quattro, of which just 19 exampled (in left-hand-drive) were available in the UK
Audi bosses confirm the A1 will get the boot in 2026, and it won’t be replaced with a direct successor
Audi’s Mini hatchback rival is for the chop in 2026, it has been confirmed by the German car giant.
The cheapest and smallest model in Audi’s line-up was introduced 15 years ago to tap into the then-expanding premium small car segment, also rivalling the VW Polo.
Originally sold as a three-door in 2010, the five-door Sportback arrived a year late. And the A1 also spawned one of the greatest exclusive modern-era hot hatches, the rally-inspired A1 Quattro, of which 333 were produced – and only 19 were made available to UK customers.
In 2018, Audi unveiled the second-generation version, though this will be the last.
No direct replacement has been lined up, which follows suit with rival brands who no longer feel it’s financially viable to produce small, more affordable cars and are instead switching attention to crossover and SUVs.
Audi CEO Gernot Döllner told Autocar earlier in the year that there ‘definitely will be no successor for the A1’ but promised there will be ‘models in the lower A-segment’ in the future.
Audi too will end production of the A1 based Q2, though a compact electric crossover will replace that shortly.
In 2025, Audi has also axed the A4 nameplate, with its compact executive saloon now carrying the A5 badge.
3. BMW Z (1995-2026)
BMW’s legendary Z roadster will cease production in 2026 – and there’s no model to directly replace it, bosses say. The current Z range dates back to the Z3, debuted in 1995
The Z3 was a huge success story for BMW in the late 1990s, and by the early 2000s it was replaced by the Z4
The BMW Z4 is now in its third – and final – iteration. The last models produced before outputs cease is the Final Edition (pictured). The assembly line stops making Z4s in March
The BMW Z car originally dates back to the Z1 of 1989 to 1991, but the roadster really became popularised with the arrival of the Z3 in 1995, before it was replaced by the Z4.
But BMW sees no place for a small two-door convertible in its range any longer, having confirmed that production of the Z4 will cease in March 2026 and that no replacement is in the pipeline.
Britons will still be able to order a ‘Final Edition’ model…
Read More: Six popular cars that have been KILLED OFF this year – including Britain’s