silvrsvt Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Saw this in an Autoline tweet Sales of passenger cars are falling ever faster in the US market. They dropped by 90,000 cars last month, probably the worst drop yet. Pass cars only accounted for 29% of the total in August. We think this has to bottom out at some point but we haven't found the bottom yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 August , Corolla down 5%, Accord down11%, civic, 24%!!! camry down 19%...all compared with August last year..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 August , Corolla down 5%, Accord down11%, civic, 24%!!! camry down 19%...all compared with August last year..... Yet people still say that it's because Ford didn't refresh Focus and Fusion. Well Camry is pretty new and Accord is less than a year old. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Chevrolet sedans are down, too. At this point, it doesn't appear as though other manufacturers will enjoy a "bump" in their sedan sales because of Ford's announcement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Chevrolet sedans are down, too. At this point, it doesn't appear as though other manufacturers will enjoy a "bump" in their sedan sales because of Ford's announcement. I agree with your point, but to be fair, with Ford's sedans still around at the moment, that's still 27.6K that Ford sells that will have to go somewhere else (whether that be to Ford's own crossovers, or to competitor sedans or crossovers). Those numbers are Fiesta, Focus, C-Max, Fusion, Taurus, and PI combined - which is crazy considering not that long ago, Fusion was doing about that per month itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Is it really fair to include PI? Most, if not all departments who chose the PI will probably go to the Explorer PIU, especially since GM doesnt have a police sedan anymore. Their only sedan option now is the Charger and I just cant see many going to them unless they are choosing solely based on price. FCA is much more willing to deal than Ford (and GM) is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcartwright99 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) I like sedans but I know I'm in the minority. I wonder what the biggest reason people buy sedans? Cost/Value proposition? For example if you gave a consumer a choice, a Fusion and an Edge (equally equipped and same price) which would they choose? I bet 90% would choose the Edge but that's just my guess. Now in the real world, they aren't priced the same at all. The better deals are on the Fusion. Edited September 5, 2018 by jcartwright99 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Is it really fair to include PI? Most, if not all departments who chose the PI will probably go to the Explorer PIU, especially since GM doesnt have a police sedan anymore. Their only sedan option now is the Charger and I just cant see many going to them unless they are choosing solely based on price. FCA is much more willing to deal than Ford (and GM) is. It was 755 units for August, so not a huge difference if you don't include it, but still it falls in that category, and it'd be a unit total that would have to shift somewhere else - like I said - either to another Ford crossover (like you said, most would likely just get PIU), or another brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader 10 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 Utilities are benefiting greatly from the economy which is better than it has been for many yers. People are able to afford more expensive vehicles which benefits the much more expensive SUV/CUV vs. the traditional sedan. It will be interesting to see if buyers gravitate to more sedans when the economy suffers the next downturn. And while the fall in Fusion/Focus sales is more than just the two being outdated, you can’t argue the fact that they are long in the tooth vs. competition which has significantly affected sales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 I like sedans but I know I'm in the minority. I wonder what the biggest reason people buy sedans? Cost/Value proposition? For example if you gave a consumer a choice, a Fusion and an Edge (equally equipped and same price) which would they choose? I bet 90% would choose the Edge but that's just my guess. Now in the real world, they aren't priced the same at all. The better deals are on the Fusion. Actually Small CUV sales are what is replacing Midsize sedan sales-not that much difference in interior room, but yet alot more cargo space in back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 So as we get to the end of the year and final Focus inventory is all sold, Ranger sales begin taking over at MAP effectively replacing those lost Focus sales but then, does Ecosport get a kick along because there's no more discounted Focus stock? Does ICE Fusion get a bump as Focus buyers jump on S and SE? We will definitely see replacement volume next year as car sales drop even lower, maybe it's good that this gets talked to death now and next year because except for the few rusted on car buyers, I see a lot of the market just moving on to utes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 personally I just think CUVs are sedans with taller top hats.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 personally I just think CUVs are sedans with taller top hats.... Because they are?! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 but getting car fanatics to accept that....maybe that's where these "near sedans" with slightly raised suspensions come in, they're kinda like the ride heights those regular sedans from the 1980s had before everyone decided to lower for better handling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 but getting car fanatics to accept that....maybe that's where these "near sedans" with slightly raised suspensions come in, they're kinda like the ride heights those regular sedans from the 1980s had before everyone decided to lower for better handling... I just see them more or less as extensions of this: or this: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 perception is different between individuals I guess....sincerely cant figure a legit reason why someone would prefer a true 4 door sedan over a similarly sized CUV...especially if economy is close, and in upcoming hybrid versions , significantly better...Utility is way superior...the only negative maybe ultimate handling due to a higher CG?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehaase Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 I like sedans but I know I'm in the minority. I wonder what the biggest reason people buy sedans?Some like myself prefer the lower center of gravity. I don't see myself ever buying a crossover or truck, but I accept Ford's decision as best for its future. As I age and plan for retirement soon, Ford wouldn't make much profit off a budget buyer like me anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 5, 2018 Author Share Posted September 5, 2018 perception is different between individuals I guess....sincerely cant figure a legit reason why someone would prefer a true 4 door sedan over a similarly sized CUV...especially if economy is close, and in upcoming hybrid versions , significantly better...Utility is way superior...the only negative maybe ultimate handling due to a higher CG?... Maybe better styling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) I am 100% convinced that the mainstream sedan (in all sizes) will be effectively extinct in the next 10 years. The only sedans that will survive will have to do something interesting, either low volume luxury, performance or EVs...but they have passed the point of no-return and the bottom is zero, we will never see growth of sufficient volume to sustain a unprofitable shrinking niche market. There are so many other market force in play, it will continue to be reshaped into new segments. Ford is absolutely correct and why I've really never been more proud of the company and why I know they will be laughing at the critics in the end. I've seen Ford in the position to say "I told you so!" many times now. Edited September 5, 2018 by Assimilator 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted September 5, 2018 Share Posted September 5, 2018 (edited) I am 100% convinced that the mainstream sedan (in all sizes) will be effectively extinct in the next 10 years. The only sedans that will survive will have to do something interesting, either low volume luxury, performance or EVs...but they have passed the point of no-return and the bottom is zero, we will never see growth of sufficient volume to sustain a market of shrinking money losers. There are so many other segment influences changing the market, it will continue to be reshaped into new segments. Ford is absolutely correct and why I've really never been more proud of the company and why I know they will be laughing at the critics in the end. I've seen Ford in the posting to say "I told you so!" too many times now. Last months sales figures for Chevrolet's cars makes for interesting reading, is GM about to take a massive bath on cars if sales keep going away. The decision for Ford was much easier because it didn't have the ready production space to continue, almost forcing it to choose Ranger and more utilities / crossover / white space near cars.... anything but just continuing as they were.. Edited September 5, 2018 by jpd80 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehaase Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 I am sure the Corolla, Camry, Civic, and Accord will still be around in 10 years and still be quite popular. I could see most other automakers discontinuing their sedans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assimilator Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Unless sales of those vehicles start growing, they will be gone too. They won't invest into those products unless they have nothing else to sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 Has there been a rise in popularity of compact hatchbacks? Might be hard to determine for sure as most manufacturers just lump all sedan /HB sales together.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 6, 2018 Author Share Posted September 6, 2018 I dont think sedans are going completely away-they be in the same percentages as coupes and maybe minivans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailhiker Posted September 6, 2018 Share Posted September 6, 2018 If people want inexpensive vehicles, they have plenty of used cars as options. I think the decline in sedans can be directly linked to the short-term lease programs that now allow people to buy more vehicle than they could before. This allows dealers to keep a nice inventory of slightly used vehicles to sell with the warranty still active. The leases on CUVs will become more attractive as the demand for low mileage used ones will help them retain value, while sedans will be hard pressed to offer great lease prices, if the demand for used ones is low, and drops thier value accordingly. grammar apology: I have no sense of where to place or not place commas! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.