[im_chandan]

In Indian auto industry, it's evident that SUVs currently dominate market with a substantial 53% share, and this dominance is continually expanding. On the flip side, sedan sales are consistently declining, with only a few models remaining on the market. This decline is causing a noticeable reduction in the driving pleasure that sedans traditionally offer.

Yesterday, within my office campus, there was a display for the Skoda Slavia. My friend and I decided to explore the Slavia, even though he had already booked the new facelifted Nexon's top model. The salesman suggested that if my friend test-drove the Slavia that day, he might consider canceling his Nexon booking.

Now, turning to the broader question: considering the substantial investments in highway projects and the development of new expressways, the quality of roads is progressively improving. In light of these advancements, do you foresee any possibility that, within the next five years, the era of sedans might experience a resurgence?

[GTO]

Nope. And this isn't just for India, the sedan bodystyle is suffering a global decline. So much so that Ford abandoned it in USA.

For any bodystyle to make a "comeback", it has to offer significant advantages. But sedans lose out to crossovers in terms of GC, seating position and (arguably) styling. Because it's a dying segment, even the product choices get slimmer. Corolla, Civic, Accord, Teana, Elantra etc. are all dead.

While the Rs. 15 - 50 lakh sedan segment is either declining or dead, there are two exceptions:

- Entry level segment which is very price sensitive. Sedans will continue to sell here (I'm looking at you, Dzire). Plus, there is enormous demand here from Uber & Ola.

- Unbelievably, the high-end segment. Audi, BMW, Mercedes are all happily selling very healthy sedan volumes. Example, the S-Class is still the S-Class and the GLS isn't even close to it in luxury or opulence. The 3-Series is still the car of choice for enthusiasts.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GTO

But sedans lose out to crossovers in terms of GC, seating position and (arguably) styling. Because it's a dying segment, even the product choices get slimmer. Corolla, Civic, Accord, Teana, Elantra etc. are all dead.

Also to add - sedans also take up significantly more real estate, causing parking challenges in apartments and city areas.

Height is less of a concern for most people than length.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by im_chandan

Now, turning to the broader question: considering the substantial investments in highway projects and the development of new expressways, the quality of roads is progressively improving. In light of these advancements, do you foresee any possibility that, within the next five years, the era of sedans might experience a resurgence?

I do not think the trend has to do anything with the road quality. For example, as GTO said in his reply, even in the USA, where the roads are excellent and sedan is never a problem from road quality point of view, the sedans are on a sharp decline. Further, even in India, many of the people who are buying these so called baby SUVs or crossovers usually just use those in city (office commutes or mall visits on weekends) and their decision to buy that vehicle is not because of highway qualities across India.

I think it is more of a style statement and a fashion to buy a SUV or a crossover. Something that has got an aspirational value today that the mainstream sedans lost.

Talking about road qualities, yes I agree with you that highway infrastructure is developing fast in India. Myself and many of my friends in my driving circle have done plenty of sedan driving all across India and none of us think there is much of an issue. We love driving sedans on Indian highways. But we are a minority. The general people do not look at these road surfaces to decide their vehicle purchases. That is decided by what is the current fashion, and that is SUVs and crossovers, not sedans.

Originally Posted by GTO

And this isn't just for India, the sedan bodystyle is suffering a global decline. So much so that Ford abandoned it in USA.

Agree 100%, and that is why I say this is not related to road surfaces, which are great in the USA to drive a sedan.

Unbelievably, the high-end segment. Audi, BMW, Mercedes are all happily selling very healthy sedan volumes. Example, the S-Class is still the S-Class and the GLS isn't even close to it in luxury or opulence. The 3-Series is still the car of choice for enthusiasts.

And this is the real point. The high-end sedans are still selling well (maybe even selling more than ever before), because they still have that aspirational value!

I think the mainstream sedans (Civics, Corollas etc) have lost that aspirational value globally. And that is the main reason for this trend. This aspirational value is very subjective and often driven by marketing campaigns, trends and peer pressure too.

And that is why I am hesitant to comment on the future. Who knows, if some smart OEM launches a beautiful mass-market sedan at affordable price and markets it well, and purposefully creates an aspirational value for that sedan, it may sell well and the sedans can come back! Fashion has a funny habit of repeating the trends after a few decades.

I would not be surprised if say over next 10 years, people just get bored of the SUVs and crossovers, and then some new sedan suddenly offers a breath of fresh air, and the sedan trend comes back. Hard to predict the future.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by im_chandan

Considering the substantial investments in highway projects and the development of new expressways, the quality of roads is progressively improving. In light of these advancements, do you foresee any possibility that, within the next five years, the era of sedans might experience a resurgence?

Short answer – No. However I do see the possibilities of crossovers getting more and more dynamically sorted, and provide sedan/hatchback-like driving experience.

Originally Posted by GTO

Unbelievably, the high-end segment. Audi, BMW, Mercedes are all happily selling very healthy sedan volumes. Example, the S-Class is still the S-Class and the GLS isn't even close to it in luxury or opulence. The 3-Series is still the car of choice for enthusiasts.

This is so true. In the luxury space, the 3-box layout still has its charm, especially in Asian markets. And in Europe, the estates versions continue to remain popular.

[Nilesh5417]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Also to add - sedans also take up significantly more real estate, causing parking challenges in apartments and city areas.

Height is less of a concern for most people than length.

This to me is going to be the real issue even if the road infrastructure gets better in urban areas as well as highways. You can only have a bunch of body styles when it comes to cars and while SUV craze may settle down, sedans are going to have a tough time clawing back.

Also, cars are going to get smaller as people get more affluent and our urban spaces (roads, housing complexes..) get over crowded each passing day. I simply can not imagine driving a sedan or a big SUV in Mumbai 10yrs from now. I dread the day when we will be forced to drive around in Kei cars like in Japan.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I believe there is always going to be a market for sedans. They may not be the dominant body style going forward, but plenty of people appreciate the low slung three box design. Just something organically appealing about it. It is timeless.

One must understand that automakers have deliberately favoured the crossovers over sedans, not updating sedans enough with time. It’s a strategy to get you spend more for a smaller product. Relevant and competent sedans like new Verna and Virtus have brought love back to what was a dying segment. It is up to manufacturers to provide an up to date and genuinely competent product. Honda City type laid back approach will only result in long term decline.

[padmrajravi]

Sedans do not do a good job of optimally utilizing the space they take up on road. The hatchback or van body shape with the same footprint on road can provide much more space and utility value. Other than the graceful looks, the only advantage of sedans seems to be that they are cheaper to manufacture. I am not sure if this is because manufacturers are artificially bumping up the price of raised hatchbacks.

To me Verna SX AT looks the most value for money in the sub 20 lakh segment now. It has all the bells and whistles including 5 star rating and six airbags. In terms of price, its competitors are raised hatchbacks that are a lot smaller.

[Kosfactor]

I told a friend of mine a few years ago to pick up a sedan instead of a crossover because it's a visibly larger vehicle for the same price - Size Matters. Between a Sub4M crossover and a Sedan , I recommend the sedan.

However given how Rolls Royce had to make an SUV, there is no stopping this trend now. If anyone has been to Mysuru for Dasara , every vehicle with Sunroof had someone through the roof , looking happily at all the festivities and lighting all over the city, I have to admit it can only be enjoyed topless.

At one point we were counting the number of people who were through the 'roof' there was one car that had 6 kids! Winner. By the way they extended Dasara festivities to one more week, so don't miss it, drive down and enjoy it.

I think making SUVs allow the OEMs to go easy on driving dynamics, the expectations are already set , same goes for fuel efficiency etc, they spend less to make the vehicle , you spend more to run it but everyone is happy in the end.

[DicKy]

The rational excuses given for dumping sedans are the ground clearance issues faced and the ingress/egress difficulties. But once they get used to the higher seating position and frontal visibility, most don't go back. Practicality is not really an issue for most of the buyers, otherwise stationwagons would have done good here. In fact, I feel most of the mainstream crossovers end up having compromised boot capacity compared to a similar sized sedan/notchback/stationwagon.

Companies did try to get the ingress/egress issue sorted by offering sedans with high seating position in the 2000s, but buyers didn't warm up to them. Once buyers got a whiff of the fact that they could have the BIG SUV experience in a smaller package with less fuel efficiency and learning curve penalties, they got hooked on. Ofcourse, MPVs can offer the same but they are not cool for most.

That is why most family sedans have gone more sportier and cooler than they have ever been or gone for the luxurious approach. The Corollas/Camrys/Accords have got sportier than their late 90s/2000s beige counterparts, while Hyundai sedans have become sort of mini Genesis.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I would not be surprised if say over next 10 years, people just get bored of the SUVs and crossovers, and then some new sedan suddenly offers a breath of fresh air, and the sedan trend comes back. Hard to predict the future.

Manufacturers have got ready for that with the coupe SUVs. Earlier an indulgence for the German luxury brands, we would be seeing coupe echuvee models from TATA and Mahindra under 25 lakhs in the next 5 years. What's more indulgent and stylish than a crossover that has been made even less practical. I really do believe that the XUV900 coupe will be a budget mass BMW X6.

[Siddj38]

For me, sedans are still a viable choice when looking for a car. For the price or less, sedans generally offer more space for 5, and more comfortable ride at highway speeds.

Back in 2022, we were looking for a car at around 12 lakh mark. We looked into nexon, xuv300 and the likes but nothing felt VFM. They lacked space and luxury feel. 5 mins inside the new City and the deal was done. City didn't felt like a compromise but getting those small jumped up hatchbacks did. The only positive with them was the increased ground clearance which doesn't really come into use that much with our usage. These crossovers are a better alternative to premium hatchbacks rather than full blown sedans. I feel the trend will settle down in a few years in India. Unlile USA, we don't buy and have that many options for full blown 7 seater giant SUVs except a few.

[ashutoshb]

Yes, the roads are improving. There are expressways all over. Yes, the sedans are more comfortable and handle better. But, one detour from the expressway and you will know why UVs in all shapes and sizes are preferred.

[RakishRam]

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I do not think the trend has to do anything with the road quality.

AD, somehow I dont agree totally with this statement. Think of the place we live (South Bengaluru), many of us who are hardcore sedan fans, including you and me, either bought or planning to buy SUVs purely due to our shamefully bad roads. And if you expand that to across the city, I think SUVs started as an exception handler (I am not discounting the style statement plus thug image etc they provide) and then got normalised.

Further, even in India, many of the people who are buying these so called baby SUVs or crossovers usually just use those in city (office commutes or mall visits on weekends) and their decision to buy that vehicle is not because of highway qualities across India.

See this above statement is what I meant, we all started buying cross overs for city drives which has horrible roads and then expanded to long runs. People would have preferred hatchbacks for city rides and office trips if the roads where any decent.

I think the mainstream sedans (Civics, Corollas etc) have lost that aspirational value globally. And that is the main reason for this trend.

While it could be all true, I am also of the opinion that manufacturers messed it up. Think of a 180bhp Civic with all the great styling it has, I am sure people would have found it more aspirational instead of a year 2000 kind of 140hp. The amount of interest we see for VRS would be shown on a more reliable and higher performing Honda Sedan.

[rsidd]

I think one big advantage of a hatchback (also hatchback mini-SUVs) is you can fold the rear seat and carry a huge amount of cargo. You would be able to do that with a liftback sedan but I don't think there are any of those in India. A liftback would really be the best of both worlds.

But the other thing hurting sedans in India is the lower taxes on sub-4m cars. So a boot in that segment, if it's there, is ridiculously small (Dzire, Ameo...). A hatchback just makes more sense.

[Bhodrolok]

I maybe a dinosaur but even the most dynamically sorted SUVs are just not fun to drive as sedans; they are also unnecessarily bulky, heavy and generally ugly.

I don't think sedans will make a comeback as in take over the SUVs but I really hope that they continue to exist in a significant number for those like me to continue to drive them.