I am eagerly awaiting the loss of life of the sedan

One of many highlights of the 2025 New York Worldwide Auto Present was the Kia EV4, at the moment because 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 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 while 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 notice 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 manner out, and for as soon as I am truly supportive of the way in which 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) through the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been in all places. Looking back, they had been the “default” automobile for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. For those who needed ample cargo house, you purchased a van, a truck, or a station wagon; if you happen to needed to save cash, you purchased a compact hatchback. Even a number of highschool children 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 highway 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 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 recurrently shifting from house to house — 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 House Depot, Finest Purchase, or IKEA. Few issues are extra irritating than carting a TV or stack of lumber out to your automobile solely to understand it will not match.

Kids exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals today, we do not have handy kinfolk 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 mother and father 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 highway 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, nevertheless 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 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 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 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 critical risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical can be stated 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 utterly? I doubt it, no less than till robotaxis and different absolutely self-driving vehicles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a function. However each the constructive and destructive tendencies in place appear to be urgent arduous, and I might moderately issues skew within the route of practicality than fake we’re all well-off professionals who get all the pieces huge and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

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The affordability difficulty

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 procuring habits will inadvertently push some individuals out of the auto market, significantly if corporations 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, 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 all the time be somebody recent out of faculty who wants an inexpensive experience — 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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