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, at the moment as a consequence of 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 in the event 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 unintentionally 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, nevertheless it 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 means out, and for as soon as I am truly supportive of the way in which the world goes, so long as inexpensive 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 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 the event you needed ample cargo house, you got a van, a truck, or a station wagon; in the event you needed to save cash, you got a compact hatchback. Even plenty of highschool children ended up getting used sedans as starter automobiles.

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 automobile manufacturers have added SUVs to their lineups. I see Porsche Cayennes on the street 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 smart in the event you’re a house owner who’s largely touring forwards and backwards to work, often shuttling children round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However in the event you’re frequently shifting from condominium to condominium — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many packing 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 may be occurring weekend runs to shops like Residence Depot, Greatest 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 state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one little one, however like many individuals as of late, we do not have handy family members 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 children to judo classes.

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The street 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 inexpensive 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 can not think about attempting 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 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 most likely will not be there till solid-state batteries arrive round 2030.

There are some points of this trajectory I do not like. Many SUVs are nonetheless unnecessarily enormous, blocking lanes and sightlines in visitors, and naturally posing a extra severe menace in the event that they hit one thing. The identical may also be mentioned 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 robust on the streets.

Will sedans disappear fully? I doubt it, not less than till robotaxis and different absolutely self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a goal. However each the constructive and detrimental traits in place appear to be urgent exhausting, and I would somewhat issues skew within the path 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 situation

One last 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 procuring habits will inadvertently push some individuals out of the auto market, notably if corporations cannot work out 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 expertise retains evolving, and buyer demand is certain to maintain issues in verify. 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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