I am eagerly awaiting the demise of the sedan

One of many highlights of the 2025 New York Worldwide Auto Present was the Kia EV4, at present as a consequence of attain the US in early 2026. It was notable for a couple of causes: uncommon styling, twin 12.3-inch touchscreens, and as much as 330 miles (531 kilometers) of vary when you pay for the Wind trim. It even has a brand new voice assistant in a position to refine its responses and command recognition, so hopefully, it will not by accident set off itself if you’re jamming out to

Spotify
. Thoughts you, Apple says the identical factor about

Siri
.

It ought to — by all rights — be a stable

electric car
for the individuals who need one, nevertheless it additionally made me notice one thing — I’ve completely zero curiosity in sedans anymore, irrespective of how well-built or futuristic they’re. Certainly, the format appears to be on its method out, and for as soon as I am really supportive of the way in which the world goes, so long as reasonably priced choices stick round too.

Why sedans ought to disappear

A development already in progress

Honda

Once I was rising up in Canada (and visiting the US) in the course of the ’80s and ’90s, sedans have been in every single place. Looking back, they have been the “default” automotive for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. For those who needed ample cargo area, you purchased a van, a truck, or a station wagon; when you needed to economize, you purchased a compact hatchback. Even a number of highschool children ended up getting used sedans as starter autos.

You possibly can nonetheless purchase new sedans, however in North America they have been eclipsed in recognition by SUVs, vehicles, and crossovers. Whereas it is tough to trace down up-to-the-minute information, in 2019, SUVs accounted for 47.7% of US gross sales (per a New York Times report) versus simply 22.1% for sedans. Even some sports activities automotive manufacturers have added SUVs to their lineups. I see Porsche Cayennes on the street on a regular basis — irrespective of that purchasing an SUV for efficiency is akin to purchasing a Bowie knife to cut up dinner greens.

A sedan is sensible when you’re a home-owner who’s largely touring forwards and backwards to work, sometimes shuttling children round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However when you’re commonly shifting from condominium to condominium — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many containers, not to mention giant items of furnishings. And even as soon as you have settled right into a home, there is a good likelihood you may be happening weekend runs to shops like Dwelling Depot, Greatest Purchase, or IKEA. Few issues are extra irritating than carting a TV or stack of lumber out to your automotive solely to appreciate it will not match.

Kids exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals as of late, we do not have handy kin or babysitters close by. Our son and his booster seat have to return together with us on many errands, shrinking the quantity of cargo area even additional. In that sense, I actually cannot blame dad and mom for purchasing full-sized SUVs, even when most of them do not want a Nissan Armada or Chevy Tahoe to take their children to judo classes.

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The street forward

Adapting kind elements for the 2020s

Chevrolet

When my spouse and I purchased a brand new automotive in 2022, we selected the Hyundai Venue, which is a compact crossover SUV. It is the best format for us — extra cargo area than a sedan, however nonetheless sufficiently small to be reasonably priced and slot in a single-car storage. We nonetheless run into area issues typically, nevertheless it’s normally nothing some artistic seat manipulation cannot repair. I can not think about making an attempt to do the identical issues with my previous Buick Regal.

In that regard, I really feel that crossovers and different small SUVs are rightfully taking up, particularly since they permit sufficient area for bigger batteries on EV fashions. The Chevy Equinox EV (above) is spectacular to me as one thing beneath $34,000 with a 319-mile (513-kilometer) vary. I would like to see 300-mile ranges on compact hatchbacks, too, however the tech in all probability will not be there till solid-state batteries arrive round 2030.

There are some facets of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily large, blocking lanes and sightlines in visitors, and naturally posing a extra severe risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical will also be mentioned of many vehicles, which frequently do not even carry cargo. In locations like Alberta and Texas, it looks as if lots of people get one simply to slot in with the native cowboy tradition, and/or to really feel robust on the streets.

Will sedans disappear fully? I doubt it, no less than till robotaxis and different absolutely self-driving vehicles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a objective. However each the optimistic and unfavourable traits in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would fairly issues skew within the path of practicality than fake we’re all well-off professionals who get every thing massive and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

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The affordability difficulty

One ultimate thought

Honda

I do have one different concern, and that is pricing traits. Even compact crossovers are typically costlier than sedans, so there’s the chance that our buying habits will inadvertently push some folks out of the auto market, notably if firms cannot work out a method to construct a worthwhile EV equal of sub-compacts just like the Honda Match. The business goes to go all-electric, eventually.

I am comparatively optimistic on that entrance, just because expertise retains evolving, and buyer demand is sure to maintain issues in examine. There’ll all the time be somebody contemporary out of school who wants an inexpensive journey — the business cannot fake that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her ideally suited do-it-all-mobile.

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