Y’know if they hadn’t killed off all of their fuel efficient sedan models they’d have a fuel efficient small car to offer the people shocked by gas prices…
People really weren’t buying those though. It’s a hot take, but I think they made the right choice on that one. They followed it up with the wrong choice to not develop hybrid wagons/cross overs. I don’t think anyone saw the return of the minivan.
People stopped buying sedans because the car industry made a concerted effort to demarket them. They’ve been pushing SUVs for nearly 30 years, trying really hard to get people to stop buying sedans and were too successful. Now there’s a fuel crisis and no sedans in production (from American brands at least) so the manufacturers are getting caught with their pants down again
I do wonder if the fleet market is sufficient to keep both sedans and vans in production, since each makes a very competent fleet vehicle platform for different usecases, see the venerable Crown Victoria for example
I’m not sure. I think they were reacting to buyers, not the other way around. I remember the late 90s and early 2000s. SUVs and crossovers were relatively new and exploding in popularity. Partly as a back lash against the “soccer mom” minivan stereotype. I never liked them, but I also never liked sedans. I’m definitely a wagon guy. It’s sad that they all became crossovers.
Y’know if they hadn’t killed off all of their fuel efficient sedan models they’d have a fuel efficient small car to offer the people shocked by gas prices…
People really weren’t buying those though. It’s a hot take, but I think they made the right choice on that one. They followed it up with the wrong choice to not develop hybrid wagons/cross overs. I don’t think anyone saw the return of the minivan.
People stopped buying sedans because the car industry made a concerted effort to demarket them. They’ve been pushing SUVs for nearly 30 years, trying really hard to get people to stop buying sedans and were too successful. Now there’s a fuel crisis and no sedans in production (from American brands at least) so the manufacturers are getting caught with their pants down again
I do wonder if the fleet market is sufficient to keep both sedans and vans in production, since each makes a very competent fleet vehicle platform for different usecases, see the venerable Crown Victoria for example
I’m not sure. I think they were reacting to buyers, not the other way around. I remember the late 90s and early 2000s. SUVs and crossovers were relatively new and exploding in popularity. Partly as a back lash against the “soccer mom” minivan stereotype. I never liked them, but I also never liked sedans. I’m definitely a wagon guy. It’s sad that they all became crossovers.