I am eagerly awaiting the demise of the sedan

One of many highlights of the 2025 New York Worldwide Auto Present was the Kia EV4, presently on account of 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 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 by chance 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 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 approach 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 development already in progress

Honda

Once I was rising up in Canada (and visiting the US) in the course of the ’80s and ’90s, sedans have been all over the place. Looking back, they have 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 purchased a van, a truck, or a station wagon; should you needed to economize, you purchased a compact hatchback. Even a number 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 recognition by SUVs, vans, and crossovers. Whereas it is tough 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 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 should you’re a home-owner who’s largely touring backwards and forwards to work, often shuttling children round, taking holidays, or having an evening out. However should you’re frequently shifting from house to house — like many millennials and Gen Zers — a sedan cannot match that many bins, not to mention massive 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 House Depot, Greatest 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.

Youngsters exacerbate the state of affairs. My spouse and I solely have one youngster, however like many individuals nowadays, we do not have handy relations 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.

Associated

The Nissan Leaf is dead, long live the new Leaf

I’ll miss the Leaf’s earlier spirit, nevertheless it’s in all probability for one of the best.

The highway 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 perfect 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 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 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 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 large, blocking lanes and sightlines in visitors, and naturally posing a extra critical risk in the event that they hit one thing. The identical may also be stated of many vans, 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 powerful on the streets.

Will sedans disappear utterly? I doubt it, a minimum of till robotaxis and different totally self-driving automobiles are an omnipresent actuality. They do serve a goal. However each the optimistic and damaging tendencies in place appear to be urgent arduous, and I would reasonably issues skew within the route of practicality than faux we’re all well-off professionals who get every 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 difficulty

One ultimate 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 danger that our purchasing habits will inadvertently push some folks out of the auto market, notably if corporations cannot determine a solution to construct a worthwhile EV equal of sub-compacts just like the Honda Match. The business goes to go all-electric, in the end.

I am comparatively optimistic on that entrance, just because expertise retains evolving, and buyer demand is sure to maintain issues in test. There’ll at all times be somebody contemporary out of faculty who wants an inexpensive journey — the business cannot faux that everybody is able to shell out $40,000 or extra for his or her splendid 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 an even bigger difficulty.