Sedans: Staying Alive

Sedans no longer on top, but they're not dead

In 2014, SUVs overtook Sedans as the best-selling body style, and as of 2020 have grown to 52% of the industry. But passenger cars overall still hold 25% of the industry, with Sedans at 18%. In 2020, over 2 million sedans were sold in the US. As many manufacturers discontinue sedans, it is critical to understand who the sedan buyers are in order to convert them to loyal SUV buyers or conquest them to new brands.

Top 25 DMAs have higher sedan loyalty than the national average

In 2020, the national average for sedan loyalty was 41.9%. However, when looking at the top 25 DMAs by volume, average sedan loyalty increased to 45.3%. Additionally, 13 of the top 25 DMAs over-indexed the nation, and 8 had sedan loyalty that exceeded both the national average and the Top 25 average sedan loyalty (Fig. 1). These DMAs include the top 2 DMAs by volume, New York and Los Angeles, as well as 4 DMAs in Florida. In fact, New York, LA, Miami, and Palm Beach have sedan loyalty that exceeds 50%.

Multicultural buyers hold a higher share of sedans than the industry overall

Multicultural buyers make up only 29.6% of personal registrations (Fig. 2). However, when analyzing by body style, multicultural buyers hold a lower share of both SUVs and Pickups, with 27.1% and 23.9% share, respectively.