The unique cars created for the American market

Automakers are increasingly thinking globally but they still make an exception for the American market.

America is a continent-sized nation with a correspondingly big fleet of cars; 17 million new cars and trucks were sold there in 2019. That’s why companies are often able to justify developing a new model (or a variant of one) specifically for the United States.

Sometimes, a car designed with Americans in mind also ends up in China or in the Middle East. The tastes of motorists in these three culturally contrasting regions are shockingly similar. Other times, a car is designed in, made in and only sold in America, even if it wears the badge of a foreign company on its nose.

Join us for a look at the cars European and Asian companies developed specifically for the United States of America:

Porsche 912E (1976)

While Porsche sold the original 912 globally, it resurrected the nameplate in the United States in 1976 and put it on a car marketed as a cheaper version of the 911 and a more usable alternative to the 914. The 1976-only 912E looked a lot like the 911 but it gave up the flat-six for a Volkswagen-derived, 2.0-liter flat-four tuned to deliver 86 HP. To add context, the 911’s 2.7-liter six made 157 HP.

Historians disagree on the number of 912Es built, though most estimates hover around 2000 units. Porsche’s American division canceled the model to make room for the 924 released in 1977.

Mercedes-Benz 300SD (1978)

American motorists haven’t always shunned diesel-powered cars. Numerous automakers experimented with the technology during the 1970s and Mercedes-Benz capitalized on the fuel’s popularity by stuffing a turbocharged, 3.0-liter five-cylinder engine in the W116 S-Class late in the 1978 model year.

The straight-five was an evolution of the naturally-aspirated 3.0-liter available worldwide in the W123. Forced induction upped the engine’s output to 110 HP, up from 77 without a turbo. The W123 and the W126 later received this engine.

Renault Alliance convertible (1985)

Renault’s American arm turned the Alliance (known in Europe as the 9) into a convertible sold exclusively on the local market. Developed with input from the American Sunroof Company, it aimed to inject a dose of excitement into an otherwise staid range of economy-oriented models. Sales started in 1985.

Renault released a more powerful, GTA-badged evolution of the drop-top powered by a 95-HP, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine in 1986. Buyers could also get the GTA as a two-door hardtop. The short-lived GTAs and the convertible were built by AMC in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and never sold in Europe.

BMW L7 (1986)

While BMW has never offered an M7, it created a range-topping version of the first-generation 7 Series named (E23) L7 for the American market in 1986. The 735i-based L7 came with leather upholstery on the seats, the dashboard and the door panels and it was the first BMW fitted with a driver-side airbag. The list of upmarket equipment also included power-operated front seats with a memory function.

The L7 was the most expensive BMW sold in the United States in 1986. Pricing started at $42,920, which represents nearly $100,000 in 2019. The standard 735i cost $38,280 (about $90,000 in 2019).

The original 6 Series (E24) received the same treatment and the L6 designation the following year. The L7 nameplate later re-appeared on a long-wheelbase 7 Series sold all around the world.

Honda’s Acura brand (1986)

Honda launched its Acura division in 1986 to compete against German luxury automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Many of its early cars were based on models sold in Japan, and they were often built in their home country, but they were tuned suit the needs of American motorists. The balance between Japanese ingredients and American tastes shifted towards the east side of the Pacific during the 1990s. Most nameplates in Acura’s 2019 line-up are developed and manufactured in North America.

Many Acura models have been sold in Japan and in Europe under the Honda banner, including the NSX, and the brand has attempted to gain a foothold in the Middle East and in China but it remains almost entirely focused on the United States as of 2019. An expansion into Europe isn’t planned, either.

Lexus is the only one of the three Japanese luxury brands with a truly global reach; Infiniti announced plans to leave Europe in 2020 after struggling for years. PICTURE: Acura Legend.

Lexus ES (first generation; 1989)

The team secretly working on the original Lexus LS planned to launch the model as a Toyota but the flagship spawned its own brand due to image concerns. Toyota didn’t want the LS to stand on its own so it turned the second-generation Camry into a smaller, more affordable model named ES that made its debut alongside its bigger sibling at the 1989 Detroit auto show.

The first Lexus ES was clearly a stop-gap car; it wasn’t as well engineered or as convincingly luxurious as the LS. It was never intended as a long-term solution, either, and it retired when the much improved, second-generation ES made its debut in 1991.

Toyota Tacoma (1995)

Toyota’s market research showed pickup buyers in Europe and in Asia wanted a tougher, more basic vehicle than American buyers. Global trucks were used for work; American trucks were often used daily. It consequently released the first-generation Tacoma in the United States as a less basic Hilux off-shoot. Sales started in 1995.

In 2019, the Tacoma is well into its third generation and it remains one of America’s best-selling trucks.

Toyota Tundra (1999)

Toyota was the first Japanese automaker bold enough to try ending America’s dominance over the full-size pickup truck segment. The T150 concept unveiled at the 1998 Chicago auto show accurately previewed the model’s design but Ford complained the name sounded too much like F-150. Toyota changed the name to Tundra ahead of the pickup’s introduction during the 2000 model year.

The first-generation Tundra (pictured) was manufactured in Indiana. The second-generation model introduced at the 2006 edition of the Chicago auto show remains on sale in 2019; it’s one of the oldest vehicles on the American market. It’s now built in Texas.

Honda Pilot (2002)

In the 1990s, Honda tapped into America’s growing demand for SUVs by selling a re-badged Isuzu Rodeo named Passport. It decided to develop the model’s successor in-house in order to better align it with the needs of American motorists. Called Pilot, the family-hauler featured car-derived unibody construction instead of the Passport’s truck-based body-on-frame layout. Its cabin was better built, more comfortable and available with a long list of standard and optional equipment.

The original Pilot (pictured) went on sale in 2002 as a 2003 model. While some early examples were sold in Japan, the third-generation model unveiled in 2016 is only available in North America – the region which accounts for the bulk of its sales – and in select countries in the Middle East like the United Arab Emirates. Production takes place in Alabama.

Toyota’s Scion brand (2002)

It’s with great dismay that Toyota realized Americans in their 20s weren’t impressed by its reputation for building solid, reliable and predictable cars. Instead of trying to change its image, it created a sub-brand called Scion and launched it by presenting a pair of concepts at the 2002 New York auto show.

Called xA and xB (pictured), respectively, the brand’s first two production models were introduced at the 2003 Los Angeles auto show. Both were related to Toyota models sold in other markets but received market-specific design tweaks and trim packages. Additional models – including the popular tC and the pocket-sized iQ – were added to the range during the 2000s.

Waning demand for small cars in America convinced Toyota to shutter Scion after the 2016 model year. The FR-S, the iA and the iM joined the Toyota range as the 86, Yaris iA and Corolla iM, respectively. The rest of the line-up went into retirement.

Nissan Titan (2003)

Nissan followed Toyota into America’s full-size pickup segment when it released the Titan in 2003. Built on the same body-on-frame architecture as the Armada, it was available in a wide variety of cab, box and wheelbase configurations and several trim levels ranging from achingly basic to fully loaded.

Interestingly, Nissan originally teamed up with Chrysler-owned Dodge to build the second-generation Titan. The truck should have been based on the fourth-generation Ram 1500 introduced in 2009. The two companies ended their partnership so Nissan kept the original Titan (pictured) in production until 2015 while it developed its successor from scratch and on its own. Released in 2015, the second-generation Titan comes to life in Mississippi.

Saab 9-2X (2004)

General Motors leveraged its partnership with Subaru to turn its Saab division into a full-range automaker while keeping development costs in check. Launched in 2004 as a 2005 model, the 9-2X shared its underpinnings with the Subaru Impreza hatchback but received a brand-specific design characterized by Saab’s three-part grille. Entry-level models used the Impreza’s naturally-aspirated, 2.0-liter four-cylinder while upmarket variants benefited from the WRX’s 227-HP, 2.0-liter turbo four. The 9-2X was quick and lively to drive, and it wore Subaru’s quirkiness well, but Saab fans shunned it.

9-2X production ended after the 2006 model year because General Motors sold its stake in Subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries. About 10,000 units were made alongside the Impreza in Japan.

Saab 9-7X (2004)

Automakers often need to set aside their heritage to keep up with market demands. That’s how Saab ended up selling a big, V8-powered SUV named 9-7X in the United States. It wasn’t built by trolls in Trollhättan; it was made by Ohioans in rural Ohio. It wasn’t much of a Saab, either.

Released in 2004 as a 2005 model, the 9-7X was built on the GMT360 platform that also spawned the Buick Rainier, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, the GMC Envoy, the Oldsmobile Bravada, and the Isuzu Ascender. The entry-level model came with a straight-six engine but upmarket variants received a 390-HP, 6.0-liter V8 also found in the Chevrolet Corvette later in the model’s production run. The 9-7X was the first, last and only Saab with an eight-cylinder engine.

Engineers moved the ignition barrel to the center console to appease purists but most weren’t fooled. Saab nonetheless sold about 85,000 units of the 9-7X between the 2005 and 2009 model years. An overwhelming majority of the production run never left the United States but some traveled to abroad.

Honda Ridgeline (2005)

While Toyota and Nissan each took a shot at the wildly popular Ford F-150 in the early 2000s, Honda wanted to lure pickup buyers into showrooms without competing head-on against the nameplates that ruled America’s sales charts. It built a unibody, lifestyle-oriented truck named Ridgeline aimed at adventurers, not ranchers.

Released for the 2006 model year, the original Ridgeline (pictured) took advantage of its unusual underpinnings to offer clever features like an in-bed trunk. It was designed and developed in the United States but also sold in a handful of other markets, including some countries in Latin America.

The second-generation, Pilot-based Ridgeline launched during the 2017 model year also uses unibody construction but it wears a more conventional design. Stylists even carved out a gap between the bed and the gap even though it’s not needed. Production takes place in Alabama.

Toyota Camry Solara (1998)

Toyota shed light on the Camry’s sporty side when it released the Solara coupe in 1998; this was certainly news. The Solara wasn’t the first two-door Camry but it stood out from its predecessors because it put a genuine focus on driving enjoyment. It argued a Camry could be desirable.

Then, the Japanese automaker pelted its bread-and-butter model into America’s four-seater convertible segment by launching a drop-top Solara in 2000. Both were built in Canada and they sold reasonably well in parts of the United States where the sun shines on a regular basis.

Production shifted to Kentucky when the coupe and the convertible variants of the Camry Solara returned for a second generation (pictured) for the 2004 model year. They retired in 2008 model year and neither received a direct successor.

Volkswagen Routan (2009)

The Volkswagen Routan sprouted from Chrysler’s tireless effort to build as many cars for other manufacturers as possible in a bid to stay afloat. Unveiled at the 2008 Chicago auto show, it wore a Volkswagen-esque front end that did little to conceal the fact it was based on Chrysler’s fifth-generation minivans.

Volkswagen only sold the Routan in the three North American markets. The Wolfsburg-based firm left the minivan segment when Chrysler stopped building the Routan in 2014 but the Dodge Grand Caravan it was based on is, somewhat astoundingly, still available new in 2019.

Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (2010)

The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet baffled the crowd when it broke cover at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show. As its name implied, it was a two-door, convertible variant of the Murano crossover originally developed to take a family, their dog and their gear on vacation. Some argued it was the next big thing; others panned it as the answer to the question no one asked. American buyers tended to side with the latter group.

The 265-HP CrossCabriolet was available from the 2011 to the 2014 model years. While Nissan chose not to replace it, Land Rover stepped in to fill the void it created by introducing the Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet in 2015. Volkswagen took the torch in 2019 by chopping the top off the T-Roc.

Volkswagen Passat (2011)

In the 1990s and the 2000s, Volkswagen positioned the Passat as a more upmarket alternative to four-door family cars like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. This approach limited the nameplate’s appeal. It consequently decided to plant the Passat in the heart of the market by developing a roomier, less expensive model specifically for the American market. The shift signaled a completely new strategy for the brand’s American division, one that put far less of a focus on its German genes and ultimately gave the division considerably more independence.

Volkswagen introduced the American-spec Passat at the 2011 Detroit auto show and gave it a comprehensive update during the 2019 edition of the event. While the American-spec Passat was primarily developed for the local market, and it’s built in Tennessee alongside the Atlas SUV, it’s also sold in a handful of global markets including the Middle East.

Subaru Ascent (2017)

As of 2019, Subaru’s American division has managed to enviably post a new sales record annually for a decade. The company has grown from a niche automaker to a major player that outsold Volkswagen and Mazda combined in 2017. While its customers are exceptionally loyal, executives noticed buyers left the brand when they needed a bigger car.

The Ascent introduced at the 2017 Los Angeles auto show fills a major gap in the company’s range by catering to motorists in need of an eight-seater SUV. The Indiana-built model comes with a new, 2.4-liter flat-four turbocharged to 260 HP. All-wheel drive, one of Subaru’s claims to fame, comes standard. The model is not sold in Japan or in Europe due to its jumbo dimensions.

Lotus Evora GT (2019)

Fans cried foul when Lotus kept the Evora GT430 it released in 2017 away from American shores. To make amends, it released a GT-badged evolution of its mid-engined coupe developed specifically for the United States and Canada in 2019. The Evora GT gets a 3.5-liter V6 supercharged to 416 HP and a standard six-speed manual transmission, though an automatic is optionally available. Regardless of pedal count, it’s the quickest, most powerful road-going model the firm has ever sold in the United States.

Lotus spent decades neglecting the American market, but the Evora GT shows it hasn’t forgotten about it. The British firm notably announced it will develop the next-generation Elise with an eye on America.