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 result 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 the event 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 while you’re jamming out to

Spotify
. Thoughts you, Apple says the identical factor about

Siri
.

It ought to — by all rights — be a strong

electric car
for the individuals who need one, however it additionally made me notice one thing — I’ve completely zero curiosity in sedans anymore, regardless 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 truly 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

Once I was rising up in Canada (and visiting the US) in the course of the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been in all places. On reflection, they had 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 obtain a van, a truck, or a station wagon; in the event you needed to save cash, you obtain a compact hatchback. Even loads of highschool youngsters ended up getting used sedans as starter automobiles.

You’ll be able to nonetheless purchase new sedans, however in North America they have been eclipsed in reputation by SUVs, vans, and crossovers. Whereas it is tough to trace down up-to-the-minute knowledge, 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 — regardless of that purchasing an SUV for efficiency is akin to purchasing a Bowie knife to cut up dinner greens.

A sedan is smart in the event you’re a house owner who’s principally touring backwards and forwards to work, sometimes shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However in the event you’re repeatedly shifting from condo to condo — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many packing containers, not to mention giant items of furnishings. And even as soon as you’ve got settled right into a home, there is a good likelihood you may be occurring weekend runs to shops like Residence Depot, Greatest Purchase, or IKEA. Few issues are extra irritating than carting a TV or stack of lumber out to your automotive solely to comprehend it will not match.

Kids exacerbate the scenario. My spouse and I solely have one baby, however like many individuals lately, we do not have handy kinfolk 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 mother and father for getting 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 street forward

Adapting type components 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 generally, however it’s often nothing some artistic seat manipulation cannot repair. I am unable to 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 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 below $34,000 with a 319-mile (513-kilometer) vary. I would 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 elements of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily enormous, blocking lanes and sightlines in visitors, and naturally posing a extra critical risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical can be mentioned of many vans, which frequently do not even carry cargo. In locations like Alberta and Texas, it looks like 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, not less than till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a function. However each the constructive and adverse traits in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would somewhat issues skew within the path of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every thing large and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

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The affordability challenge

One last thought

Honda

I do have one different concern, and that is pricing traits. Even compact crossovers are generally costlier than sedans, so there’s the danger that our procuring habits will inadvertently push some folks out of the auto market, notably if corporations cannot determine a strategy to construct a worthwhile EV equal of sub-compacts just like the Honda Match. The trade goes to go all-electric, ultimately.

I am comparatively optimistic on that entrance, just because know-how retains evolving, and buyer demand is certain to maintain issues in verify. There’ll all the time be somebody contemporary out of school who wants an inexpensive trip — the trade cannot faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her superb do-it-all-mobile.

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