Are sedans doomed?

In Europe, their chances are higher than in America.

With the advent of crossovers and a wide variety of SUV models on the global market big loser For many years, this segment has been considered the backbone of many markets – middle class sedans.

In the spring of this year, Ford announced it would end production of the popular Fusion, marketed in the European market as the Mondeo. According to the Detroit bureau, production of the Fusion was halted on July 31 and there will be no direct successor to the model.

In North America, Ford has completely ditched cars, not just sedans, and in Europe is reviving popular models such as the Puma, but the affordable coupe has become a crossover. Most likely, the Fusion will be replaced by a new crossover model, but there is no more detailed information on this yet. However, the expectations are such that next Fusion is likely to be a direct competitor to Subaru Outback, which suggests the direction of its further development. The same is with its European version - Mondeo. The model name will remain, but the car that bears it will be significantly changed.

Usually New Ford models, especially for the US market, are exclusively SUVs. and related vehicles, from the electric Mustang Mach-E to the as-yet-unconfirmed Maverick compact pickup. It is estimated that up to 90 percent of the giant's models in the near future will be crossovers and SUVs.

Another popular brand, Buick, is also parting ways with one of its sedans, the Regal. From a market point of view, this is justified - in 2019, 90 percent of Buick's sales come from crossovers.

At the same time, these ideas from American brands brought bad news to fans of more sophisticated and high-quality models. The last generation Lincoln Continental retires this year, and at GM, the sedan group that is being phased out is led by the Cadillac CT6 plus at least two Chevrolet models, the Impala and Cruze.

The US market for large sedans is shrinking, but local brands are in a rush to leave. However, sales are still there, and most likely soon they will be entirely for Japanese companies with a presence in America.

In Europe, this segment is also not sane., but premium mid-range and high-end brands have no intention of giving up on it, and that gives it some security. At the same time, attempts by more accessible brands such as VW and Renault to register for participation have also met with success. However, there is another feature here - for a significant part of buyers in Western Europe. big vans are an interesting alternative crossovers and offer more space on board as well as carrying capacity for families. Which works in favor of the station wagon options of the popular high-end sedans.

And let's not forget that there is a smaller niche - the so-called. "Increased station wagon" - with increased cross-country ability and higher suspension. The presence of well-known brands is also serious here, although recently VW announced that it is refusing to offer the Passat Alltrack in the UK market.p due to weak demand. And it is weak, because on the Island, crossovers are preferred to more specialized station wagons, but in this case it is difficult to say whether this is the beginning of a new trend or an isolated case.