Cars That Aren't Soul-Sucking Crossovers Might Be Making a Comeback
Cars have won back market share over SUVs, crossovers, and trucks for the first time in years, Automotive News reports.
Sedans, coupes, convertibles, hatchbacks, and sports cars represented 21.4 percent of the 3.6 million new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2023. That's up from 19.6 percent in the last quarter of 2021.
The gain is small, but this is still wonderful news. The body styles listed above have been steadily losing ground since 2002, when light trucks (pickups, crossovers, and SUVs) first achieved a majority of the market share.
While we're glad more buyers are shifting away from soul-sucking, mindless crossovers and SUVs, it's important to understand why, and if the trend will continue.
"It seems like we're approaching some kind of natural boundary, where SUVs [and crossovers] are about 60 percent of the market, and pickups and vans and trucks are about 20 percent, and cars are about 20 percent," J.D. Power vice president of data and analytics Tyson Jominy told Autonews.
"We're kind of getting to that stasis point, but just industry dynamics alone suggest that it will be several years until we steady out," he said, referring to lingering inventory shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
There's also the simple fact that sedans and coupes are usually cheaper than their higher-riding counterparts, with buyers aiming to squeeze the most from their dollar more than ever.
Either way we're happy the sedan and coupe aren't dead just yet. If this trend continues, maybe automakers will actually begin to invest in the segments we care about again instead of dumping development cash into boring stuff that's not exciting to drive.
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