I am eagerly awaiting the dying of the sedan

One of many highlights of the 2025 New York Worldwide Auto Present was the Kia EV4, at present on account of attain the US in early 2026. It was notable for just a few causes: uncommon styling, twin 12.3-inch touchscreens, and as much as 330 miles (531 kilometers) of vary in case you pay for the Wind trim. It even has a brand new voice assistant capable of refine its responses and command recognition, so hopefully, it will not by accident set off itself once 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 best way the world goes, so long as reasonably priced choices stick round too.

Why sedans ought to disappear

A development already in progress

Honda

After I was rising up in Canada (and visiting the US) in the course of the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been all over the place. Looking back, they had been the “default” automobile for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. For those who needed ample cargo house, you obtain a van, a truck, or a station wagon; in case you needed to economize, you obtain a compact hatchback. Even quite a lot of highschool youngsters ended up getting used sedans as starter automobiles.

You may nonetheless purchase new sedans, however in North America they have been eclipsed in recognition by SUVs, vans, and crossovers. Whereas it is troublesome 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 automobile manufacturers have added SUVs to their lineups. I see Porsche Cayennes on the highway 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 smart in case you’re a home-owner who’s principally touring backwards and forwards to work, often shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However in case you’re recurrently shifting from house to house — 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 probability you may be occurring weekend runs to shops like House Depot, Finest Purchase, or IKEA. Few issues are extra irritating than carting a TV or stack of lumber out to your automobile solely to comprehend it will not match.

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

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The highway forward

Adapting kind elements for the 2020s

Chevrolet

When my spouse and I purchased a brand new automobile in 2022, we selected the Hyundai Venue, which is a compact crossover SUV. It is the best format for us — extra cargo house than a sedan, however nonetheless sufficiently small to be reasonably priced and slot in a single-car storage. We nonetheless run into house issues typically, nevertheless it’s normally nothing some inventive seat manipulation cannot repair. I can not think about attempting 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 on, particularly since they permit sufficient house 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 might like to see 300-mile ranges on compact hatchbacks, too, however the tech most likely will not be there till solid-state batteries arrive round 2030.

There are some points of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily big, blocking lanes and sightlines in site visitors, and naturally posing a extra critical risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical will also be mentioned of many vans, which regularly 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 powerful on the streets.

Will sedans disappear fully? I doubt it, at the least till robotaxis and different totally 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 exhausting, and I might moderately issues skew within the path of practicality than fake we’re all well-off professionals who get every part massive and heavy delivered by white-glove companies.

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The affordability problem

One closing 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 danger that our purchasing habits will inadvertently push some individuals out of the auto market, significantly if firms cannot determine a approach 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 know-how retains evolving, and buyer demand is certain to maintain issues in examine. There’ll all the time be somebody recent out of faculty who wants an inexpensive trip — the business cannot fake that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her supreme do-it-all-mobile.

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