The funny thing about discontinued cars is that, even though production could have wound down for more than a year, a handful of examples might still be on dealer lots. They sit there for months on end, waiting for someone to finally take it home. That’s what seems to have happened with a few Toyota Venza SUVs, the not-quite-Lexus compact SUV that Toyota discontinued back in 2024.
Also, while it’s been discontinued the longest, it isn’t the only vehicle from the automaker that keeps selling from beyond the grave.
2024 Toyota Venza finished in gray with black interiorToyota
Sales Have Finally Hit Double Digits This Year
The Venza has been dead for a while, since its final model year was 2024, so the only real surprise about its sales performance this year is that it had any sales at all. This month, Toyota sold 2 of them. That nearly matched the number of sales for last August when Toyota sold 3. Also surprising is the fact that these aren’t the only Venzas that have been sold this year. So far, 10 Venzas have found homes in 2026. Not surprisingly, that means the Venza is Toyota’s worst selling product this year, and that will almost certainly hold to the end of the year.
The second-worst selling vehicle of the year is another discontinued machine: the Lexus LS. The flagship sedan’s final model year was 2026, and Lexus sold just as many of them in August as Toyota sold Venzas. Those 2 LS sedans brought the year’s total to 148. Since the LS hasn’t been off the market for as long as the Venza, it’s no surprise that Lexus is selling more of them.
2026 Lexus LS 500 Heritage Edition front 3/4 angle in blackLexus
What Was The Worst Seller That’s Still In Production?
What might be even more shocking than the continuing sales of discontinued Toyotas is that one of them is quite close to matching a Toyota that’s still in production. Toyota sold 36 of its hydrogen fuel-cell Mirais in August, which was actually 2 more than Toyota sold in August 2025. That’s also quite a bit better than either the Venza’s or LS’s sales this month. Total sales for the year are also up by 76 over last year for a total of 188. Yes, Toyota has only sold 40 more Mirais than it has of its discontinued flagship luxury sedan.
2022 Toyota Mirai front 3/4 angle in blue while drivingToyota
In fairness to the Mirai, it’s a hard sell. It’s basically only sold in California, since that’s about the only place in America that you can find hydrogen stations to keep it filled. That also means that, despite its claimed 402-mile range ona tank, you’re probably not going to be going out of state. It’s not cheap, either, with a base price of more than $50,000. That does come with $15,000 worth of complimentary hydrogen, but with the aforementioned caveats, it’s still a questionable value.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Sales of these low-volume discontinued cars don’t mean much to their automakers or the auto industry in general, but they do offer a chance to talk about Toyota’s overall performance this year, which hasn’t been amazing. Total sales for the year are still just slightly behind last year, though this has less to do with these niche models being discontinued, and more to do with popular models struggling. The RAV4 has been the key issue, as its sales are way down following major production hang-ups early in the year. Lexus has a similar issue with its midsize ES sedan’s sales, which have dropped significantly since its total redesign that’s only available with hybrid and electric powertrains.
By the end of the year, Toyota will likely just top its sales for last year, but it does seem as though it needs to work on how it brings new models to market so that it doesn’t have such rocky transitions.
