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  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    Sedan Sales Are Sliding and it Could Get Worse

      May was a bad month for sedans

    May was a horrible month for automakers as many reported sales drops. Part of this can be attributed sales of cars (especially sedans) imploding. According to Automotive News, the 15 largest automakers all posted lower car sales. Overall car sales dropped 16 percent.

     

    "We don't get a lot of ups on cars right now, as far as people even wanting a price on them," said Gary Uftring, president of Uftring Auto Group in Peoria, Ill.

     

    "Styling has changed, and what people want to be seen in is a crossover or a sport utility."

     

    Case in point, light-truck sales rose 2.4 percent in May.

     

    Sedans were the hardest hit for May. Here's a rundown of the big losers,

    • Toyota Camry and Prius saw a decrease of about 7,000 models when compared to sales last May
    • BMW 5-Series, Ford Focus, and Ford Fusion all saw a drop of over 20 percent
    • Worst month of any kind for the Chevrolet Impala, down 54 percent.


    Barclays Capital analyst Brian Johnson says the U.S. has gone into a 'sedan recession,' and could hurt sales down the road.

     

    "Excess supply and weak demand for sedans is likely to yield added price pressures. One trend that may accelerate the sedan recession is weakness in deep subprime credit, which largely supports used car values -- especially for sedans."

     

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

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    oldshurst442

    *SIGH*

     

    The writing is on the wall...Sedans are toast.

     

    Somewhere in automotive hell...this guy is laughing his ass off...

     

    15-4x4-Answerman-6-9-15.jpg

     

    Call me crazy, but Id rather the Eagle over any modern CUV/SUV....it looks better and probably hauls more stuff and hauls offroading ass as well...the reason why someone would by a 4x4 to begin with....

    hqdefault.jpg

     

    Not for a mm or two worth of snow on the ground preventing us from ordering a latte at Starbucks from their freshly shoveled drive-thru!

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    Suaviloquent

    I like the the new Hyundai Tucson...it looks good outside. Then there's the Ford Escape Sport Appearance package.

     

    I also like the way the new GLC looks, the Explorer Platinum, and the GMC Terrain pre-refresh exteriors.

     

    And then my favorite new crossover inside and out is the Lincoln MKX Black Label "Thoroughbred" interior and Black tie exterior. I love the Wood trim they use there. Damn good wood.

     

    But in terms of design purity, cohesion, and originality that will be missed dearly, this red Lincoln MKX takes the cake for me. 

     

    lincoln9.jpg.size.custom.crop.1086x630.j

     

     

    lincoln2-1.jpg.size.custom.crop.867x650.

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    smk4565

    Sadly sedans will keep dropping in sales.  Most buyers don't care about acceleration, handling, braking ability, the crossover can meet their daily needs and haul around the crap they don't need in the first place.

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    balthazar

    The writing is on the wall...Sedans are toast. Somewhere in automotive hell...this guy is laughing his ass off...

     

    15-4x4-Answerman-6-9-15.jpg

    Some might argue that it was sedans that killed the wagon. ;)

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    ehaase

    Because of the decline in sedan sales, I think GM should consider dropping the Sonic and Impala and Cadillac should have only one or two sedans at most. At Buick, I would have dropped the Regal instead of the Verano, but Buick also needs no more than two sedans. Ford probably can get rid of the Fiesta and Taurus. I fully understand why the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 are going away.  I don't think the sedan market is coming back, and people will just buy smaller crossovers when gas prices go up. 

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    Suaviloquent

    Yeah, there's not a whole lot of ground that isn't shared between the Spark and Sonic...though the Sonic feels like a vehicle a class above, and the Cruze feels like a midsizer...the Impala, well actually it feels like a class above luxo wise in LTZ but a class smaller in terms of handling.

     

    Ford will probably get rid of Taurus when they can't sell it to rent-a-cars no more or other kinds of fleets. Besides, the Fusion is what the Taurus used to be, heck it is the successor to the Taurus, and the new one is just a name slapped on a Ford branded large sedan slug.

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    Cmicasa the Great

    Put the Impala on the Alpha platform with an LT1, and then we'll talk sales increase.

     

     

    RWD and V8 has nothing to do with Impala sales at this point. The current Impala is quite possibly the best large (normal) sedan on the market.. FWD and all. The only normal sedan I might put out in front of it when using the word BEST would be the Chevy SS.. and its sales are low as well. Flip side is look at CUV sales. They are booming. Impala sales dropped because the W-Body Impala is done. The rental queen is no more. GM has cut back extremely on rental sales. I don't kno if it was covered in the sales threads, but GM only sold 22K (9% of its total sales) vehicles to rental last month.. compare that to its closest competitor Ford who shifted 35K (15% of its total sales)

     

    I agree that the Impala should go RWD/AWD, but not on Alpha.. it should go on Omega. The interior space of the Impala needs to be retained.. and Omega is a perfect and superior replacement to the Chevy SS (Caprice) ZETA platform. The same thing goes for the CTS, or rather CT5. That car should be a SWB CT6, like the 5Series is a SWB 7Series. It should embody the driving spirit and capabilities of the current CTS, and in truth still keep its external size. The reason for the switch to Omega would be give it the additional interior space people are bitching about and I find silly. 

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    riviera74

    Cmicasa, I agree that the Impala should be on Omega and essentially replace the SS (or create an Impala SS trim level and make us proud).  Your ideas on the CT5 should also be implemented ASAP.

     

    I personally find it sad that it seems that everyone is running for the CUV (and even sadder that consumers wish to buy or leas them).  It reminds me of the SUV craze of 1991-2008.  When driving around town, it is increasingly difficult to see around anybody because they all insist on driving in a CUV or an SUV.

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    oldshurst442

    Why yes indeed it is Montreal...someone know their city very well.

    Last night, when I first saw your post, I was too tired to look at all the details.

    I saw the Lincoln MKX and said to myself: cool crossover thingy, it maybe a pleasant looking Lincoln, but still a crossover thingy.

     

    This morning, I was a a tad more focused and Les Habitats 67 caught my eye in the first pic. I said to myself: "boy, Ive seen that before" but the license plate in front of the Lincoln threw me off....in Quebec, the Province does not require license plates up front and upon closer inspection of the license plate I saw that it could be Ontario license plates....

     

    So unto the next pic...Keg's Steakhouse and Bar.....English....License Plate IS from Ontario....

    Wait a minute!!!!

    That building, whether the signage is in English and not French looks awfully familiar....and cobble stone streets!!!!

    Hey...that IS Habitiat 67 and cobble stone streets could ONLY MEAN Vieux Montréal...Old Montreal to the rest of you....

     

    I LOVE my city Suave...

     

     

    NYC gets all the attention in the East Coast...its the Big Apple. Its the city that never sleeps. If you could make it there you could make it anywhere....Its Wallstreet....its Time Square, Metropolis and Gotham....its the Statue of Liberty...

     

    Boston in sports because their sports teams have won many championships in the last decade.

    Miami..

    Will Smith had a diddy a while back about Miami...

    Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah

    Miami, uh, uh

    Southbeach, bringin the heat, uh

    Haha, can y'all feel that

    Can y'all feel that

    Jig it out, uh

    Here I am in the place where I come let go

    Miami the base and the sunset glow

    Everyday like a mardi gras, everybody party all day

    No work all play, okay.......

     

    In Canada...Toronto gets all the hype in the East Coast....

     

    Grand Prix week is coming up....that means yet another crazy summer in Montreal gets kicked off...too bad Les Canadiens are not the ones to be 1 win away from the Stanley Cup because in a situation like  that....Montreal just becomes more alive..and THAT is a scary thought...but a very very very fun and crazy thought...

     

    So....I get very excited when I see my city being shown anywhere, anyway, and anyhow by anybody that wants to showcase her!

    So...sorry for my over excess show of emotion...

    Edited by oldshurst442
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    smk4565

    Buick should have 2 sedans, Chevy and Cadillac 3.  That is probably enough.  I think Chevy should shrink the Cruze, Malibu and Impala, 6-8 inches each, having starting prices around 15k, 20k and 25k, with the Impala being more of an Accord fighter, Malibu becoming a Civic, Focus, Corolla fighter.   Spark and Sonic die in this scenario.

     

    On the Crossover side, add a crossover below Trax for $15k, shrink Equinox to Escape size, add another Crossover in between Equinox and Traverse so they have 5 crossovers.  Buick and Cadillac need 3 crossovers each.  

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    regfootball

     

    Put the Impala on the Alpha platform with an LT1, and then we'll talk sales increase.

     

     

    RWD and V8 has nothing to do with Impala sales at this point. The current Impala is quite possibly the best large (normal) sedan on the market.. FWD and all. The only normal sedan I might put out in front of it when using the word BEST would be the Chevy SS.. and its sales are low as well. Flip side is look at CUV sales. They are booming. Impala sales dropped because the W-Body Impala is done. The rental queen is no more. GM has cut back extremely on rental sales. I don't kno if it was covered in the sales threads, but GM only sold 22K (9% of its total sales) vehicles to rental last month.. compare that to its closest competitor Ford who shifted 35K (15% of its total sales)

     

    I agree that the Impala should go RWD/AWD, but not on Alpha.. it should go on Omega. The interior space of the Impala needs to be retained.. and Omega is a perfect and superior replacement to the Chevy SS (Caprice) ZETA platform. The same thing goes for the CTS, or rather CT5. That car should be a SWB CT6, like the 5Series is a SWB 7Series. It should embody the driving spirit and capabilities of the current CTS, and in truth still keep its external size. The reason for the switch to Omega would be give it the additional interior space people are bitching about and I find silly. 

     

    The new Impala is enormously popular here, and the Taurus was too.  The big deal with the new Impala is the price went way up.  Not a bad thing really.  

     

    My mom finally consented to me looking for a new vehicle for her.  At one time she said she wanted a crossover, but then lately she said she's had a hard time getting into our relatives Terrain and Explorer (too high)  I asked her if a car would be ok, she said sure, i asked what kind, she said IMPALA.  

     

    The big car still has draw but the market price has to be right, and it has to have some size.  I believe GM can sell the current impala for 5+ more years. And i think they will.  It would be good to give it a powertrain upgrade.  Something like a 1.8t with the new 9 speed auto.

    Buick should have 2 sedans, Chevy and Cadillac 3.  That is probably enough.  I think Chevy should shrink the Cruze, Malibu and Impala, 6-8 inches each, having starting prices around 15k, 20k and 25k, with the Impala being more of an Accord fighter, Malibu becoming a Civic, Focus, Corolla fighter.   Spark and Sonic die in this scenario.

     

    On the Crossover side, add a crossover below Trax for $15k, shrink Equinox to Escape size, add another Crossover in between Equinox and Traverse so they have 5 crossovers.  Buick and Cadillac need 3 crossovers each.  

    disagree. chevy has the sedan lineup perfectly sized now.  and none of them cross over each other.  The next Sonic they can bring from Korea if they have to.

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    Suaviloquent

    Uhhh....Chevy...Chevy sedan...yessir...yes.

     

    Ok.

     

    Malipala is what she wants. I think Malipala is a great choice.

     

    I also think Impabu is a good choice to. Either Chevy Malipala. Or even the Crubu. Or Impuze. Or the Cruzala. Or the Malimpuze.

     

    Malimpuze is the best one prolly.

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    daves87rs

    It's an old school trend coming back....but instead of wagons, we call them CUV/SUVs....

     

    Sedans will drop and bottom out a bit, but they will be fine. It's not like the 90s wiped out small cars because SUVs were big and gas was cheap....

     

     

    It's also going to help if they learn to drop the price a little....it's gotten a bit carried away over the last few years. This is the reason why you see trucklets like the Compass and Patriot (along with the Journey) selling so well...with the discounts they are priced pretty nice!

     

    In the current plan, I'd just drop the sonic sedan, and keep the Cruze a good mix of sedan/hatch. The Trax, new Nox, TB, and Tahoe will all do fine....

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