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, presently as a result of attain the US in early 2026. It was notable for a couple 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 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 strong

electric car
for the individuals who need one, nevertheless 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 manner out, and for as soon as I am really supportive of the way in which 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. On reflection, they had been the “default” automotive for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. Should you wished ample cargo house, you purchased a van, a truck, or a station wagon; when you wished to save cash, you purchased a compact hatchback. Even a whole lot of highschool youngsters ended up getting used sedans as starter autos.

You’ll be able to nonetheless purchase new sedans, however in North America they have been eclipsed in reputation by SUVs, vehicles, 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 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 sensible when you’re a house owner who’s principally touring forwards and backwards to work, often shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However when you’re usually shifting from residence to residence — 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 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 automotive solely to appreciate it will not match.

Youngsters 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 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 youngsters 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 automotive 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 often nothing some inventive seat manipulation cannot repair. I am unable to 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 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 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 facets of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily large, 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 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 fully? I doubt it, no less than till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a objective. However each the constructive and detrimental traits in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would somewhat issues skew within the route of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get all the pieces huge and heavy delivered by white-glove companies.

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The affordability problem

One remaining 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, notably if firms cannot determine a solution 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 expertise retains evolving, and buyer demand is certain to maintain issues in examine. There’ll at all times be somebody contemporary out of faculty who wants an inexpensive journey — the trade cannot faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her ultimate do-it-all-mobile.

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