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, presently resulting from 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 if you happen to 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 unintentionally 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, 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 manner 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 pattern 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 all over the 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 needed ample cargo house, you got a van, a truck, or a station wagon; if you happen to needed to economize, you got 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 reputation 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 automobile manufacturers have added SUVs to their lineups. I see Porsche Cayennes on the highway 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 sensible if you happen to’re a home-owner who’s largely touring forwards and backwards to work, sometimes shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However if you happen to’re commonly shifting from residence to residence — 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 likelihood you will be happening weekend runs to shops like Residence Depot, Finest Purchase, or IKEA. Few issues are extra irritating than carting a TV or stack of lumber out to your automobile solely to appreciate it will not match.

Youngsters exacerbate the scenario. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals today, we do not have handy kin 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 house 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 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 generally, however it’s often 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 house 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 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 features of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily big, blocking lanes and sightlines in visitors, and naturally posing a extra severe risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical may also be mentioned of many vehicles, 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, at the least till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a goal. However each the constructive and unfavorable developments in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would moderately issues skew within the path of practicality than fake we’re all well-off professionals who get every thing large and heavy delivered by white-glove companies.

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The affordability subject

One last thought

Honda

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

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

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