Articles by Stephen Ottley

They were once the staple in almost every Australian driveway, but the sedan is looking increasingly in danger of disappearing altogether.Sales of family-sized sedans are down more than 60 per cent in 2025, with even the biggest names in the market including the Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3 enduring a major sales slide.The decline of the Camry, which is down 46.4 per cent in the first nine months of 2025 is particularly telling. Once a staple not only of the sedan market, but one of the most popular cars in the country, the Camry is now struggling to find new buyers. Once popular family cars including the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcon and Mondeo, Mazda6, Volkswagen Passat, Kia Optima and more have all disappeared over the past decade and more and more buyers shift to utes and SUVs.A decade ago some local car executives openly questioned how large the SUV market could grow, doubting that the sedan could be overtaken, such as the dominance of the bodystyle at the time.That has clearly changed.Some industry insiders viewed electric cars as a potential saviour of the sedan, as the lower body allowed for better aerodynamics and less weight, and therefore greater efficiency and longer driving range off the batteries. The Model 3 and BYD Seal have performed strongly previously, but sales of both have taken a turn for the worse in 2025.This year Tesla reported sales of the Model 3 were down more than 65 per cent in the first seven months of the year, while the Seal has seen its sales halved. While this is happening, sales of SUVs and utes continue to stay strong, making it clear to car companies where they should be focusing their attention and future models. While there are some brands still committed to the sedan for now, it’s hard to see them playing a significant role for any brand in the future.Toyota will likely keep the Camry as long as possible given it has been a staple of the brand and recently received an update. But as we’ve seen with the Mazda6, which was a fixture of that brand’s line-up, no model is truly safe regardless of its heritage.The same is true for the premium end of the market too. The BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4 have often been amongst the best-selling sedans overall, competing on volume with the likes of the Mazda6, Sonata, Passat and others.But these luxury options are also suffering declining sales. The sales of mid-size sedans over $60,000 are down almost across the board, with the only model enjoying sales growth being the Audi A5 - which is coming off a small base and the departure of the A4.The fact that Audi has decided to retire the A4 badge and shift its sedan focus to the A5 is telling in itself. It underlines the shift from the traditional to this new era of both SUVs and electric vehicles.The recent reveal of the BMW iX3 as the first offering from the Bavarian brand’s so-called Neue Klasse is another sign that electric SUVs are the focus for many brands and sedans are an afterthought.This news will be disappointing for the sedan loyalists who simply don’t want to switch to a bigger SUV or ute. But the message is clear to those who still prefer sedans - get them while you can.

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