[govindasrani]

I think it's the end of the sedan era because of the change in customer preferences. Money normally follows the market and with more SUVs/ SUV type of vehicles being sold, manufacturers are going to invest more money on their development instead of sedans. Sedans may just remain as enthusiast's cars cause there is almost nothing that an SUV can't do which a sedan can. Can't say the same thing if it were the other way round.
Having myself moved from a sedan (cedia) to an SUV/ cross over (XUV500) I can say that no matter how good SUVs/ pseudo SUVs like the creta get, the only thing will not be able to replace the low slung feeling of a sedan where the car and driver become one. With SUVs, I've felt like an an operator operating heavy machinery.

[NT56]

Has sedan "era" ended? Most likely.....is it the end of sedans? Probably not...

It is very likely that suspension technology will evolve and sedans will not have to slow down on bad roads. That will instantly make it more practical and a better value proposition.

Fashion trends keep changing so the crossover styling will not be popular forever.

[ChargedGarage]

I think it's really the SUVs who have made a lot of progress over the years, back in the day SUV meant Ladder on Frame and not very stable at high speeds. Now an SUV can offer you 90% of the sedan driving experience without any of the issues that come with a low slung sedan. Some higher end ones (X5, GLS, etc) now come with adaptive suspension which is excellent on highways and curves unless you're trying to push the limit which is rare on public roads.

I personally traded my daily commuter Skoda Laura TDI for a new Endeavour a few months back because I have to travel quite often on Jaipur-Delhi highway and the road conditions seem to be worsening. You really have to keep an eye out for road undulations and moon crater sized potholes in a sedan while you can be a lot more relaxed in an SUV knowing that it will absorb any undulation or pothole if need be.

I also recently ventured deeper into Rajasthan for some work and even though the highway is excellent, a truck had overturned in the middle of a two lane road causing a 2 hour jam in either direction. Thanks to being in the Endeavour I was confidently able to choose an alternate village route that I could see. After travelling around 8 kms in the gravel we came across a railway bridge under-crossing where water had filled up due to rains the previous night, from what I could make out it was around 1.5 to 2ft of water. I few brave souls following me turned back at this point but thanks to being in the Endeavour with its 850mm of water wading capability, I crossed the water without a fear in mind and was able to reach back home at a sane time.

If I was in the Skoda then I probably would have not even gotten off the highway and would have reached home at some ungodly hour.

As much as I love a low slung sedan (recently acquired an Audi S4), if you want to travel across India without fearing if you'll actually be able to make it or not, a SUV is the only answer.

[agelesstravelle]

The trend towards crossovers and SUVs would continue as all the manufacturers have an opportunity to offer more and more features and space there at higher price point and people are willing to pay for it.

The sedans above 15 lakhs are generally chauffer driven where the owners may not be looking to get all the fancy features to buy them at higher price point. So for considerable future crossovers and SUVs will offer more profitability than sedans and that is where the marketing and products budgets will go. It is a win-win situation for manufacturers and customer desires.

[wordsworth]

Was never a fan of sedans. Have preferred hatch style in cars and the two cars I have bought were either a hatch back (i20) and a large SUV with a hatch (Hexa). Drooled over a Yeti instead of Octavia.

While sedans have advantages which the technical experts on this forum have highlighted on various threads, the market locally and globally have been moving towards crossovers since last decade or so. Shows in the sales, the product launches and the fact that a unknown or lesser known brand Kia has become the fourth largest car maker in india in little over an year (with two brilliantly packaged crossovers) and it's only upwards for them.

A point would like to highlight is the tax advantages of a compact crossover (arbitrage of 15-20% GST) compared to a sedan. This is a win win for both the brand to pocket more profits and in turn more r&d and better products for consumers in VFM packages. The crossover trend is here to stay!

[littlebrother]

I sincerely hopes Honda brings the 1.0 turbo petrol for City, Volkswagen brings latest Jetta with TDi heart and also updates the Vento/ Rapid to their latest attire soon to spice up and get something going the Sedan class in India.

To me I still can't understand why the inflated hype towards a cross over/Suv especially when most of these raised vehicles deliver an Inferior ride quality. The feel good factor towards raised driving position is present but I only enjoyed in it bumper to bumper traffic and slow cruising in open roads. Didn't give any dynamic feel that a sedan would on 95% roads that are vehicle are driven at.

[RoadMonkey]

I have to drive on undivided roads often and once the sun sets, the high beam of the oncoming traffic causes headaches. A low slung car makes this problem even worse and I find it a nightmare to drive them. Give me an open highway during the day and I'd pick a sedan over a crossover, but the conditions in this country necessitate a crossover. If people realised that you can lower your high beams (while travelling at 40kmph), life in a sedan would become much easier.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Most car buyers aren't enthusiasts or knows a lot about cars. I don't think most of them analyze the pros and cons of a sedan vs SUV before buying a four wheeler. Also, a lot of car buyers aren't going to do a lot of investigation by reading or asking questions in forums before buying a car unless he is an enthusiast or really a curious person who wants to know his things before making a decision. Most buyers would just ask their friends or colleagues who again may not be knowledgeable about cars, and go with the popular opinion. Ask a random non-car guy about the ride quality of a sedan or an SUV or CSUV, he will have no clue. Ask a random Nexon owner about whether his petrol Nexon has a 3 cylinder or 4 cylinder engine? He/she will have no clue.


So I feel it isn't about whether our roads are bad or flood prone, it might be just that the crowd is following the general trend and style.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by NT56

Has sedan "era" ended? Most likely.....is it the end of sedans? Probably not...

It is very likely that suspension technology will evolve and sedans will not have to slow down on bad roads. That will instantly make it more practical and a better value proposition.

Fashion trends keep changing so the crossover styling will not be popular forever.

Its not commercially viable to innovate, especially in the C1/C2 category of sedans. The only major innovation can be hybrid/ electric, but that is irrespective of body type.

[headbanger]

I still believe that if there is better road infrastructure in India, sedans have enough grunt to make a case for themselves. This single point can alleviate a lot of pain for sedan category.

How many times have we seen a low slung sedan doing antics while crossing an abrupt speed breaker.

A lot of folks have moved to high GC vehicles just due to this aspect.

[Arjun Bharadwaj]

I cant say that I love sedans but I don't mind the good ones(such as the new value for money Rapid) since the handling usually much better in a sedan.

Having said that, the below reasons would make me think twice before buying a sedan(although there are chances of thinking twice and actually buying, that is a different discussion):

1. Lack on confidence in the existing and future infrastructure. Population is growing at a far higher pace than development taking place - problems like flooding during rains, bad roads, dig ups for cabling, etc are bound to increase. The city has far crossed its road capacity limits.
2. Road presence within and outside the city - serves as protection to some extent against rash driving cabs and autos, reduces the perception of a "soft" target. Maybe one of the reasons why Thar is getting booked like crazy - who would mess with a Thar right, the tires are as high as some other cars
3. Better visibility within the city and highways - helps me see much further and figure out where the gaps are or how the road is.

I am a value freak and end of the day will buy whichever option looks most "value for money".

[vinya_jag]

A car, to me, then, and now

[Nalin1]

Some great posts above .

I too have driven a Sedan extensively and have touched unmentionable speeds on highways.

I have done exactly the same on crossovers and even an Innova .

I found nothing in a Sedan that was superior to what the SUVs offered, especially the monocoque builds on which even the body roll is negligible/nil.

[heydj]

I prefer sedan but the way traffic is these days am thinking of switching to some monster car like Iszu max or Thar etc.

This highbeam situation has gone completely out of hand and gives me a headache in night time driving, especially on roads with no dividers.

[46TheDoctor]

I love fast sedans and just today morning i was thinking that i havent bought one in long time after parting with my vRS in 2013. I was also thinking on the lines of buying a Superb 2.0 TSi L&K or that mighty 530D as potentially my next car.

But, in the evening when i was returning home using a national highway, i had to wade through 1 foot deep water with some concealed deep pot holes underwater and i finally came back to my senses! Thank God, all of my cars currently are SUV/crossovers but at the same time i regret the fact that this is the bitter reality today