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 because of attain the US in early 2026. It was notable for a number 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 capable of refine its responses and command recognition, so hopefully, it will not by accident set off itself whenever 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, but it surely additionally made me understand 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 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) through the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been in every single place. On reflection, they had been the “default” automobile for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. In case you wished ample cargo area, to procure a van, a truck, or a station wagon; when you wished to save cash, to procure a compact hatchback. Even a whole lot of highschool children ended up getting used sedans as starter automobiles.

You possibly can 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 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 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 sensible when you’re a home-owner who’s principally touring backwards and forwards to work, sometimes shuttling children round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However when you’re repeatedly shifting from condo to condo — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many containers, not to mention massive 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 Dwelling Depot, Greatest 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.

Kids exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals nowadays, we do not have handy family or babysitters close by. Our son and his booster seat have to come back 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 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 highway forward

Adapting kind components 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 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, but it surely’s often nothing some artistic 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 area for bigger batteries on EV fashions. The Chevy Equinox EV (above) is spectacular to me as one thing underneath $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 facets of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily enormous, blocking lanes and sightlines in site visitors, and naturally posing a extra severe menace in the event that they hit one thing. The identical can be mentioned of many vans, which regularly 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 utterly? I doubt it, at the least till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a function. However each the optimistic and unfavourable traits in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I might relatively issues skew within the course of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every part massive and heavy delivered by white-glove companies.

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The affordability concern

One ultimate thought

Honda

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

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

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