With the recent announcement that Ford will cut the Taurus, Fusion, and Fiesta from their lineup starting in 2020 to focus more on crossovers and SUV’s, the direction of the automotive industry is becoming clearer. In the last 2 to 3 years, car brands have continued to grow their crossover lineups while transitioning to emerging segments such as the gran coupe and sportback. Despite the negative feedback that Honda has received with the redesigned Accord, it’s apparent that even in failure, automakers are experimenting with new designs that maximizes overall practicality when it comes to four door sedans.
Honda’s risk taking may have been too much for their consumers, but Kia is reaping the benefits of the all new Stinger. In the few short months since its arrival to car dealerships, The Stinger outsold the Audi A5/S5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. This segment has continued to grow which is slowly beginning to influence car brands to start adding sportbacks to their lineups. If the all new Mercedes Benz AMG GT63S isn’t enough proof that gran coupes and sportbacks are the future of four door cars, maybe the Porsche Panamera or Audi RS5 Sportback is.
When did this all begin? It’s a question that many have begun to ask themselves, and it’s difficult to pinpoint an exact timeframe when sedans were slowly getting phased out. This goes far beyond the emergence of crossovers, as 2018 is seeing a resurgence in station wagons. The Buick Regal TourX was one vehicle that certainly raised eyebrows, as it’s the first station wagon in a GM lineup in two decades. Volvo’s V90 and V60 along with Jaguar’s XF S Sportbrake and Mercedes Benz E-Class Wagon are bringing luxury and performance to the segment, and at the same time are offering an alternative to crossovers.
Then there’s the hatchbacks. Toyota’s all new Corolla hatchback impressed many at the New York Auto Show when it was unveiled in late March. Chevrolet added a hatchback variant for the Cruze which is already in dealership’s showrooms. The Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf and GTI are hot sellers, which also offer performance trims to appeal to a younger market. These vehicles add practicality and styling, making compact sedans almost obsolete.
Lastly we have the newest trend and segment, which is the compact crossover. This includes the all new Hyundai Kona and Volvo XC40. They’re bigger than compact sedans, have more cargo room, and are more practical. When it comes to sedans they’re getting hit from all angles, not just from crossovers, so fingers can’t be pointed in one direction.
When taking a step back, it does appear that we’re seeing the slow demise of the traditional four door sedan. However, there are many car brands that haven’t made any plans to go in the same direction as Ford, at least for the time being.
Before getting too somber or overreacting to the changes we’re seeing in the automotive world, there’s been highs and lows throughout the last 30-40 years. Large American cars were replaced by small imports and German luxury vehicles in the 90’s and when the recession hit in 2008, SUV’s were dealt a difficult blow. Now with a stable economy, consumers are gravitating towards crossovers that provide practicality, but are not necessarily the most economical. Everything happens in waves and trends. Station wagons were once cool in the United States and then disappeared for a while. Sedans may be going through the same situation.
If there’s any silver lining at the end of the day, car brands are offering performance crossovers. Twenty years ago consumers would trade in their sports cars for minivans and SUVs when they started having families, which ended the days of having fun behind the wheel. With the Porsche Macan, Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrofolio and Maserati Levante, you can still be cool even at the drop off line at your children’s school.
