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 the moment attributable to 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 if you happen to 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 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, however it additionally made me understand 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 means 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) throughout the ’80s and ’90s, sedans have been in all places. Looking back, they have been the “default” automobile for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. In the event 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 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 automobile 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 if you happen to’re a home-owner who’s largely touring backwards and forwards to work, sometimes shuttling children round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However if you happen to’re commonly shifting from condo to condo — 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’ve got settled right into a home, there is a good probability you may be occurring 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 comprehend it will not match.

Youngsters exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one baby, however like many individuals as of late, we do not have handy relations 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 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 type 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 perfect 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, however it’s often nothing some inventive seat manipulation cannot repair. I am unable to think about making an attempt to do the identical issues with my outdated 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 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 site visitors, and naturally posing a extra critical risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical may also be stated 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, not less than till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a function. However each the optimistic and adverse traits in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would fairly issues skew within the route of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every little thing huge and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

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The affordability problem

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 purchasing habits will inadvertently push some individuals out of the auto market, notably if firms cannot determine a approach 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 test. There’ll at all times be somebody recent out of faculty who wants an affordable trip — the trade cannot faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her preferrred do-it-all-mobile.

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