Are Sedans Dead?

With SUVs ruling the roost, the iconic sedan body style has taken a backseat on popularity rankings

- Kanaad Chatterjee

In India’s ever-booming automotive landscape, SUVs have emerged as the clear winners, reigning over sales charts and capturing the aspirations of buyers across segments. Their commanding road presence, high ground clearance, and versatility for navigating the country’s pothole-ridden roads have relegated other body styles, like sedans and hatchbacks, to the peripheries of the Indian and global automotive market. While SUVs symbolise power, success, and prestige, sedans—once the epitome of elegance and sophistication—are now often seen as old-fashioned or uninspired, a fading relic of a bygone era.

Yet, there is something timeless about sedans. For most of us, the car we imagined as kids was inevitably a classic three-box saloon with a distinct bonnet, passenger compartment, and boot. This simple and iconic design has been etched into our collective consciousness for generations. In India, cars like the Hindustan Ambassador and Maruti Esteem brought this archetype to life, dominating roads and our imaginations alike. Even today, this design remains a symbol of simplicity and elegance, though its appeal is increasingly overshadowed by the bulkier stature of SUVs.