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 present resulting from 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 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 once 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 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 have been in all places. Looking back, they have been the “default” automotive for North America — you solely purchased one thing else to accommodate area of interest calls for. Should you needed ample cargo house, you got a van, a truck, or a station wagon; in case you needed to save cash, you got a compact hatchback. Even quite a lot 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, vehicles, and crossovers. Whereas it is tough 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 in case you’re a house owner who’s largely touring forwards and backwards to work, sometimes shuttling youngsters round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However in case you’re frequently transferring from residence to residence — 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 probability you will be occurring 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.

Kids exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one baby, however like many individuals lately, we do not have handy kin 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 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.

Associated

The Nissan Leaf is dead, long live the new Leaf

I will miss the Leaf’s earlier spirit, but it surely’s most likely for the perfect.

The street forward

Adapting kind 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 reasonably priced and slot in a single-car storage. We nonetheless run into house issues generally, but it surely’s normally nothing some artistic 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 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 beneath $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 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 may also be stated 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 powerful on the streets.

Will sedans disappear fully? I doubt it, a minimum of till robotaxis and different absolutely self-driving vehicles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a objective. However each the constructive and unfavorable tendencies in place appear to be urgent laborious, and I would quite issues skew within the path of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every little thing huge and heavy delivered by white-glove providers.

Associated

Why solid-state batteries will revolutionize EVs – and why we’re still waiting

They’re on the horizon, however there’s nonetheless a ways to go.

The affordability challenge

One closing 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, notably if firms cannot work out a option to construct a worthwhile EV equal of sub-compacts just like the Honda Match. The trade goes to go all-electric, eventually.

I am comparatively optimistic on that entrance, just because expertise retains evolving, and buyer demand is sure to maintain issues in examine. There’ll all the time be somebody recent out of faculty who wants an affordable journey — the trade cannot faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her perfect do-it-all-mobile.

Associated

The problem with self-driving cars isn’t safety

Merely getting the place you wish to go appears to be a much bigger challenge.