Zombie cars of 2026: The production line’s stopped but these ‘new’ cars are still in the showroom — from the Fiat 500 and Hyundai i20 N to the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Fortuner – innereastreview.com.au
It’s a brand new year and brand new car buying thoughts turn to vehicle build plates. Dealers are keen to shift their existing stock before prior year manufacturing dates become a millstone around their automotive necks.
But what if the model in question has been publicly put to the sword and it’s not just a matter of a ‘2025 Plate Clearance Sale’?
Some of these cars may have been around for quite a while. In rare instances, slow sellers celebrating a birthday (or two?) in retail captivity, waiting hopefully for a new owner to take them to their forever home.
These are affectionately referred to as zombie cars. Still offered for sale but the production tap may be about to be turned off, or it’s even been twisted to the right some time ago.
If you’re looking for a cut-price new car and you don’t mind if it’s been sitting on the shelf for a period of time, here’s a rundown of some four-wheeled zombies to give you a little extra leverage when twisting a salesperson’s arm.
BMW Z4 – This sleek two-seat roadster was developed in a joint-venture with Toyota that also spawned the (similarly discontinued) fifth-generation Supra.
Production is scheduled to end this March with a ‘Frozen Matt Black’ Final Edition model including four- and six-cylinder variants, the order window for the car opening and closing this month.
But don’t get too excited. Sadly, the Final Edition won’t be available in Australia. However, there are still Z4’s on showroom floors here and there around the country. After all, three found homes in December last year. Get in quick!
Fiat 500 – The internal combustion version of this diminutive Italian (in Fiat and Abarth form) ceased production in June 2024 thanks largely to EU safety regulations sending it out of bounds.
A 500 Ibrida Hybrid is due to begin production imminently, but it’s quite a different car designed to supplement 500e production (global demand for which has been underwhelming) and riding on the same platform.
The ICE car is still offered up on the Fiat Australia website, in 1.2L four-cylinder Dolcevita form at around $30,775, drive-away.
Hyundai i20 N – Hyundai has made no bones about the fact its i20N hot hatch is kaput, with production scheduled to finish this March.
But Hyundai Australia has reached into the cash drawer and ordered up enough cars to satisfy predicted local demand through 2026.
So, this brilliant little performance car will be a zombie in name only. But we wouldn’t leave it too late to get your hands on one. With 150kW/275Nm in a brilliantly responsive compact package it’s not to be missed.
Jaguar E-Pace / F-Type – There isn’t a car company on the planet that’s been more transparent about ending production of a current model. In fact, (almost) every one of its models!
Jaguar suspended manufacturing of its then existing internal combustion cars in mid-2024 in preparation for a brave new all-electric, ultra-premium future… except for the F-Pace SUV, soldiering on at JLR’s Solihull plant.
Amazingly, local sales of the E-Pace SUV grew four per cent year-on-year in 2025 despite the manufacturing halt. And examples of the stunning F-Pace sports car continue to trickle out into the world.
Jeep Grand Cherokee – The Aussie axe fell on Jeep’s Grand Cherokee early last year, the once hugely popular model discontinued locally in response to a less than stellar sales performance after launching here in 2023.
Part of the problem was a solid price hike for the fifth-gen version and having ripped off the Band-Aid by announcing its local departure, parent company Stellantis promptly dropped the price of the Limited variant to $60,000, drive-away (previously $72,950, before on-road costs).
Lo and behold, year-on-year Grand Cherokee sales ticked up 4.3 per cent for 2025, but registration numbers are dwindling now. It’s still up on the website, so it might be the perfect time to move in for a super-sharp deal.
Suzuki Ignis / S-Cross – The pocket-sized Ignis SUV was confirmed for departure from the Australian market in early 2025 in response to new Australian Design Rule (ADR) requirements mandating more advanced AEB performance.
Examples of the 1.2-litre four-seat city SUV were still rolling out Suzuki showroom doors in December last year so there are cars floating around the brand’s retail network.
Same story for the compact S-Cross crossover, which struggled with that ADR compliance and reached the end of the road production-wise around the same time. Again, a number are still finding homes close to 12 months after its death notice was issued.
Toyota Fortuner – A clear oversupply of large three-row SUVs was tidied up by Toyota Australia with an announcement to confirm the axing of its Fortuner model in November last year. Which still leaves the Kluger, LandCruiser Prado and LandCruiser 300 as available seven-seat Toyota options.
Sharing the same body-on-frame platform as the HiLux ute, the off-road capable Fortuner will finish production around the middle of this year.
The Fortuner battled for clear air in the mix with its in-house competition, attracting just 3407 customers in 2025, while the Ford Ranger-based Everest sold 26,161 units.
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