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 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 should 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 if 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, 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 truly supportive of the best way the world goes, so long as inexpensive 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) throughout the ’80s and ’90s, sedans had been in all places. Looking back, they had been the “default” automotive for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. In case you wished ample cargo house, to procure a van, a truck, or a station wagon; should you wished to save cash, to procure a compact hatchback. Even plenty of highschool youngsters ended up getting used sedans as starter automobiles.

You possibly can nonetheless purchase new sedans, however in North America they have been eclipsed in reputation by SUVs, vans, and crossovers. Whereas it is troublesome 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 automotive manufacturers have added SUVs to their lineups. I see Porsche Cayennes on the highway 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 should you’re a home-owner who’s principally touring forwards and backwards to work, sometimes shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However should you’re often 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 have settled right into a home, there is a good probability 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 automotive solely to appreciate it will not match.

Youngsters exacerbate the scenario. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals today, we do not have handy kin 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 highway forward

Adapting type components 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 inexpensive and slot in a single-car storage. We nonetheless run into house issues generally, 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 up, particularly since they permit sufficient house for bigger batteries on EV fashions. The Chevy Equinox EV (above) is spectacular to me as one thing below $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 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 severe risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical may also be mentioned of many vans, 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 utterly? I doubt it, at the least till robotaxis and different absolutely self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a objective. However each the constructive and damaging tendencies in place appear to be urgent exhausting, and I would relatively issues skew within the path of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every little thing 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 tendencies. Even compact crossovers are generally dearer than sedans, so there’s the chance that our purchasing habits will inadvertently push some individuals out of the auto market, significantly 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, in the end.

I am comparatively optimistic on that entrance, just because expertise 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 faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her superb do-it-all-mobile.

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