Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

The death of the sedan, what does that really mean?

"Death of an Era" 1980
Artist: Dustin Shuler, photo from the web.

It may not be extinct, but like the bison, they will be less likely to be seen in the wild.

Ford, GM and Chrysler/Stellantis will all be reducing the number of sedan offerings in the coming years. This is going to thin out the ranks of what was at one time the "volume series."

The domestic brands have been losing ground in sales for years, to the Japanese makes, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan.

These have become the preferred cars of the middle range customers.

If you want a small or medium size sedan these are your chief picks. Now, they are your only choices.

Slightly lower on the scale are the Korean brands which have really been ratcheting up their game, penetrating the Japanese stronghold.

Not to mention the heavy downmarket excursion by the celebrated European makes: Mercedes, BMW, and Audi

These manufacturers have launched a plethora of models aimed at the American middle class buyer. Sure they may be smaller, but they can still (currently at least) boast of their trendy upscale cachet. I mean, would you rather have a tiny new Mercedes or a new Ford Taurus? Obviously most are voting for the Benz.

It seems that most American buyers are choosing SUV and crossover designs instead of three box sedans. This has been going on for quite some time. There didn't seem to be a future in maintaining sedan production. Ford admitted that they can't make enough money with current or predicted sales. If you cannot sell it, why would you build It?

Sales of the big uber sedans from Mercedes, BMW, Audi. Cadillac et al. have seen a catastrophic drop in sales. Being a Lincoln fan, it's somewhat sad that there aren't any actual cars available from this company anymore. Even though they were platform mates with regular Ford products. The reintroduction of the Continental couldn't change that direction.

I give Cadillac a lot of credit for launching this model.

Cadillac still has a couple of sedan models available, and they went all in, with a bespoke platform and engine for their CT6, but buyers still stayed away. The Lyric has been described as an SUV, but they are bringing out the Celestique, which looks more like a sedan/shooting brake to me. I like that it will be a very limited production, owner specified build. The owner will be able to select from a selection of fabrics, colors, wheels and other configurations resulting in an individualized vehicle. They will only be built to order, which is a very good idea, as there won't be unsold units cluttering up dealers lots. 

I found this somewhat amusing, as back in the '70's you could personalize a vehicle as humble as a Chevy Monte Carlo with a large number of exterior colors, some two tone, in combination with different vinyl top options, and wheel designs. The interior could be outfitted in several different trim levels, with a lot of color and fabric combinations. It was possible to have the factory build you an individualized vehicle at less than 300,000 dollars!

It's the big SUVs that the people want. If the rich folk choose the SUV, then the masses will follow.

How, or why did this happen? Sedans were the biggest sellers since after WWII.

Sedans had become less boxy and less practical since the 1940's. Then the longer, lower, wider, design language ran amuck.

They had evolved into over sized displays boasting terrible space utilization.

Compact cars are most useful in a four door or hatch back configuration

Hatchbacks, Minivans, SUVs, Crew cab pick ups

These are all more flexible, no matter the size range of the vehicle, compact, mid size, or full size.

Once the status concerns had been addressed, there was little reason to choose the less practical sedan.

Has this happened before?

Remember how common station wagons once were?

How about convertibles?

What about two doors and coupes?

Most painful to me, what happened to the Personal Luxury Coupe?

The station wagon was the darling of the newly arrived suburban set. It was a lot more flexible than a sedan. It could carry a bunch of kids in the rear cargo area in less safety concerned times. It also had a large carrying space for materials that DIY homeowners needed for the projects they were involved with. It also sent out the right social signals: We have arrived.

However the station wagon was hobbled by its relationship to the over styled passenger car. 

Convertibles could offer a refreshing driving experience, at least during the Spring and Fall. Driving with the top down during the height of Summer was not as pleasant. Eventually they almost became extinct, but have returned within a narrow niche. Besides, almost every new car is equipped with a/c. All children of the '50's know that cold air inside, beats hot air blowing in through the windows!

Coupes, convertibles, and PLCs all suffered from the same problem. Sports cars aside, they were two door vehicles that offered cramped rear quarters only suitable for small children or occasional passenger use. As cars became smaller, it got to be too uncomfortable to squeeze into the rear seat. In the past there were two door sedans, which were just that. Lots of room in the back, and the kids couldn't accidentally open the door and fall, or leap out of the vehicle. Their upright sedan like profile left fashion conscious buyers cold. 

There are many current vehicles that are four door hatchbacks, a configuration that has always found favor in Europe. It's the most accommodating configuration for a smaller car. Americans have never taken to the name, but hatchback crossovers are usually referred to as SUVs, even if they aren't wagons. The Ford Mach E is a hatchback, so is the Tesla Y. The popular little Lexus GX350 is a hatchback, along with the Honda CRV. The new Chevy Trax and Buick Envista are referred to as SUVs. The Trax is a bit more wagon like, while the Buick is definitely a four door hatchback. 

Of course, the SUV is King. It all comes down to semantics, and personal definitions and preferences. After all, an SUV is just a truck based station wagon. That's the way that I see it. 

When I was looking at new Lincolns awhile back, I noticed that the current Nautilus had more of a hatchback roof line, while the Corsair is more wagon like in profile. When I mentioned that to the salesman, he was kind of surprised that I noticed that. Most of his buyers don't make that distinction. 

Back in the Day, which actually lasted two decades, the '60's and the '70's of my youth. Car guys did not want four doors, which they derided as "more doors" OR  station wagons. But being broke young guys we would often settle for what we could find and afford. In my case, a Sedan deVille was not my preferred choice, but it was still a Cadillac, so I would be generally okay with it. I'd see unfortunate Chevy lovers driving a four door '55-'57, often a four door post! The shame! But at least it was a Tri Five Chevy. We all had to compromise back then, until we found the coupe or convertible that we really wanted. Then the poor more door became a parts donor!

I remember one poor young guy in my neighborhood, that got stuck with a '62 Ford station wagon. He made the best of it. He jacked it up, and bolted on some cheap Grand Auto mag wheels. Emblazoned on the rear tailgate glass was the hopeful phrase, "Party Wagon!"

Last week my post referred to older enthusiasts that only have a real interest in older cars, the current crop of new cars leaves them cold. I have only had one sedan during my family years, my Cadillac Seville. While I found the four doors useful, I would have preferred an El Dorado! But I did drive two minivans, as that was what was needed at the time. I found them useful, but I couldn't say that I loved them.

You know, I almost forgot about these damn things!
They're everywhere!

I will admit that I grew up with an anti sedan bias, which I adopted. I've noticed that younger guys don't really feel that way. They have grown up with many high performing sport sedans, lots of Accords and Camrys, and fewer and fewer coupes of any kind. So, of course they can't miss what they have never known. 

While I personally miss the availability of American made sedans a bit, since two door door versions are often constructed off their platforms, there will still be plenty available from other manufacturers.

And, used alphabet soup named Lincoln sedans sell at pretty low prices, maybe I should get one.