I am eagerly awaiting the loss of life of the seda...

One of many highlights of the 2025 New York Worldwide Auto Present was the Kia EV4, at present attributable to 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 in case 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 chance 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 stable

electric car
for the individuals who need one, but it surely 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 approach 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

After I was rising up in Canada (and visiting the US) throughout the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been in every single place. Looking back, 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, you acquire a van, a truck, or a station wagon; in case you wished to economize, you acquire a compact hatchback. Even plenty 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 recognition 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 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 sensible in case you’re a home-owner who’s principally touring backwards and forwards to work, often shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However in case you’re commonly shifting from residence to residence — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many bins, 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 will be happening weekend runs to shops like Dwelling 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.

Kids exacerbate the scenario. My spouse and I solely have one little one, however like many individuals as of late, 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 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 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 perfect 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 typically, but it surely’s often nothing some artistic seat manipulation cannot repair. I can not 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 area 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 might 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 elements 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 can be mentioned 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, 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 tendencies in place appear to be urgent onerous, and I might quite issues skew within the course of practicality than fake we’re all well-off professionals who get every thing large and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

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The affordability concern

One last thought

Honda

I do have one different concern, and that is pricing tendencies. Even compact crossovers are typically dearer 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 strategy 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 recent out of faculty who wants an inexpensive journey — the trade cannot fake that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her superb do-it-all-mobile.

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