The American ‘Car’ Is Almost Extinct

The Chevrolet Malibu is driving into the sunset. It seems fitting, given the name.Chevrolet is discontinuing the model and putting its California coastal nameplate on the shelf for the second time since it was introduced in 1964, after 10 million total sales. The previous hiatus lasted from 1983 to 1997, but this one may be for good.The 1964 Chevy Malibu. Courtesy ChevroletEnd of an era: the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. Courtesy ChevroletThe Malibu is Chevrolet’s last sedan and, with the end of Camaro production last year, that leaves it with just one traditional “car” in a lot full of SUVs and trucks: the Corvette.The folks at Ford get it. They sent the Fusion sedan out to pasture in 2020 and put all their chips on the Mustang in the car segment.Even Lincoln has become an all-SUV brand after a last-ditch effort to revive the Continental ended amid dismal sales alongside the Fusion, on which the luxury flagship was based.Cadillac still makes two sedans, but their bones are a decade old and they were outsold by all of its internal combustion engine-powered SUVs last year.SUVs first overtook cars in U.S. sales in 2015 and there’s likely no turning back. In the old days, cars delivered far better fuel economy, comfort and handling, but those gaps have been closed enough that the space bonus you get with a utility vehicle simply makes it a better overall value to most shoppers. Meanwhile, the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco are the convertibles of today.Chrysler also exited the car business last year when the last 300 sedan was built and doesn’t have immediate plans to replace it, but Dodge is plotting a car comeback. It has a new Charger lineup on the way that will be sold in two-door and four-door versions to get the volume up to profitable levels, and features both gas and electric powertrains. The latter of which may end up being the savior of sedans.Fuel costs might not be much of an issue right now, but electric car range anxiety is, and sedans still outperform similarly sized SUVs on that metric.For instance, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive sedan can go 341 miles between charges, while the Model Y SUV can only make it 310 miles before its battery is drained. Nevertheless, the Model Y was the world’s best-selling vehicle last year and outsold the cheaper Model 3 by two to one, putting its appeal in perspective.The Tesla Model 3. Courtesy TeslaThe Tesla Model Y. Courtesy TeslaThe Lucid Air sedan is the most efficient vehicle ever made at 140 mpg, but it doesn’t sell all that well and Lucid is introducing an SUV later this year, of course.Cadillac did make the unusual decision to design its upcoming electric $340,000 Celestiq as a car, rather than an SUV, although even it features a hatchback design. This is mainly to compete with the European brands, which still have plenty of cars in their lineups because they build them for their home countries, so it’s worth it for them to keep shipping some here. But perhaps not for much longer. SUVs accounted for 51 percent of sales in Europe last year indicating that the tipping point has been reached.But while we appear to be at an extinction-level event for American cars, something amazing is happening. They are starting to evolve.The new Chevrolet Trax might be marketed as an SUV, but it’s only about four inches taller than a Malibu and the same amount shorter than a Chevrolet Equinox. It’s also roughly the same height as a 1949 Chevrolet Deluxe, which is very much considered a car.The Chevrolet Trax. Courtesy ChevroletIt’s the same for many of the electric “utilities” as automakers look to find a new sweet spot between space and energy efficiency.What the Trax really is, is the modern version of a station wagon, a vehicle type that has already gone the way of the dodo among American brands. The last proper examples were made in the USA in 1996, the Canadian-built Dodge Magnum was discontinued in 2008 and the final Buick Regal TourX was imported from Germany in 2020.The Buick Regal TourX. Courtesy BuickMinivans were responsible for the initial culling, but have since seen their own population decline at the hands of the SUV. The Chrysler Pacifica is the only minivan made by an American brand today, but don’t expect any new ones to appear. It barely sells enough to justify its existence.As for the Malibu, it’s not completely dead yet. Chevrolet continues to make it in China where there’s still a big enough market for cars.At least for now.

The American ‘Car’ Is Almost Extinct

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