Are sedans making a comeback?

SUVs are the new norm and for better or worse they are here to stay, all while eating up the sedans and the decades-old base they built – slowly eaten up by SUVs and crossovers, sedans are on the brink of extinction –or are they?

SUVs and crossovers have been around for nearly 3 decades, but it is until the past few years, really, that they saw a meteoritic rise in their popularity – and has been a topic of discussion for many enthusiasts who were witnessing a decline in their beloved sedans and even humble little sports cars getting replaced by a bulky crossover.

And all things pointed towards this possibility – this very prospect has been a cause for my anxieties, but now it seems all that talk, and concern were short-sighted – as it seems sedans were forming a resistance and all while SUVs were taking over the world sedan were quietly plotting their comeback and it seems like they are back in Favour again.

So, why do I feel like Sedans are making a comeback?

Data, Of course, I have that – but above all, it is what I am feeling in the air, from conversions with non-car enthusiasts and in general what I see before my eyes- new sedans sharing the roads alongside crossovers in respectable numbers and turning just as many heads as Mahindra Thar or the new Suzuki Jimny does.

For instance, sedans like the Volkswagen Virtus, and Hyundai Verna are taking to the roads like never before – seeing this sight got me curious to confirm whether is it only limited to my state or it’s the same all over India – so, as usual, I went on to the internet and browsed through various forums and discussion where I witness many buyers opted for a sedan for the same price despite it not being on their priority list as sedan appealed to them more than the crossovers they shortlisted and a lot of them weren’t even seasoned car enthusiasts.

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Then I was even more surprised to see the amount of content that is being made on sedans such as the VW Virtus and the new Hyundai Verna – a plethora of compare videos, multitudes of reels where the fanbase of each vehicle dissing each other car or the same rivalling fans joining forces (on social media that is) to take a dig at the overgrown hatchback, I understand social media apps deliver a curated content for each domain of audience but what I’ve been witnessing for the past few months was quite reassuring to me – that sedans are making a comeback and if it’s cool to post content on sedan on Instagram is cool then I thereby affirm that Sedans are cool again.

All this would be gibberish and a fool’s illusion if it isn’t backed by some form of reaffirming data.

I do have some form of data that I curated from various trusted automobile publication and their websites – and I must say I was quite pleased to see the growth sedans have been experiencing over the past few months.

In the past 6 months, Honda City has sold over 9000 units, Hyundai Verna did close to 20,000 Units, VW Virtus did a little over 10,000 units and its sibling the Skoda Slavia achieved a similar number as the Virtus – just about 10,000 units.

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Now, SUVs or crossovers such as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos and Suzuki Grand Vitara sell in one month what the Hyundai Verna (The highest-selling sedan) manages in six months and the least popular SUV still manages to trump the least popular sedan by a considerable margin in monthly sales.

But, I still think there is hope for sedans especially the C segment one as they cost just as much as a sub-4-metre SUV and also offer more performance as is the case with VW and Hyundai sedans with their class-leading performance that is capable of battling out with SUVs which are segment above.

And the improving infrastructure that we are witnessing in the country with expanded Highways with kilometers of well-paved tarmacs and improved road conditions in the rural and urban cities – which I believe is the driving force behind people opting for sedans as a better alternative for an SUV.

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Sedans makes even more sense for those who find maneuvering a bulky crossover around city traffic all while sacrificing fuel economy is pointless, especially for those who live in Urban areas where road condition are getting better and a need for a car that offers good ground clearance is dwindling with time.

There’s still a long way to as the improved roads I’ve mentioned are few and far between and a jacked-up hatchback still makes more sense with its ability to tackle the roads less travelled and majority of the roads in the cities and rural areas.

The age of SUVs and crossovers is here to stay but the future of sedan may not be as bleak as it seemed a few years ago – And the future if all goes well will allow sedans to have a share of the pie – even only if its marginal, they’ll not seize to exist and continue to serve us performance junkies for years to come.

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And let’s not forget Sedan are more aesthetically pleasing to look at than any over the top crossover – namely Hyundai Verna – a fairly polarizing thing to witness but still bearable compared to its jacked-up cousins.