Two types of cars that once dominated Americanroads are on the verge of extinction.
By ninemsn.com - The six-passenger sedan may soon vanish entirely. Coupes, which once accounted for about half of car sales, have become a minor player, relegated to sporty and luxury models.
Both have been replaced by vehicles that serve the same purpose better and more efficiently. Some buyers still miss the old formula, though.
That raises interesting questions for Chevrolet, which builds the last six-passenger sedan and built the last affordable big coupe. Has the market moved on, or does demand remain to justify building versions of the old-style vehicles?
The Chevrolet Impala is the only six-person sedan you can buy. Other sedans -- regardless of how big they are -- have front bucket seats rather than the three-person front bench seat that was once common.
Until Chevy stopped building it, the Monte Carlo, which uses the same large-car platform as the Impala, was the last remaining big coupe with a mass-market price.
Chevy's not likely to replace the Monte Carlo, even after the next Impala goes on sale in 2013. Most buyers looking for a coupe want a smaller car, like the Scion tC, or a sporty model like a Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang. Buyers who demand steyle and room -- the ones who used to buy big coupes -- have found that sleek models like the Volkswagen Passat CC offer a coupe's visual appeal and the practicality of four doors. The big two-doors that used to fill American roads are gone forever.
The six-passenger sedan is also staring extinction in the face.
Car buyers have moved away from the layout that offered front and rear three-person bench seats. Front buckets give most people more comfort and adjustability, not to mention space for cupholders, power outlets and storage bins in the console between the seats.
Chevrolet is weighing whether to build a six-seat version of the next Impala. Weighing against it, the car will probably be narrower than the current model. It's based on GM's Epsilon II global platform. It's roomy, but probably not enough to fit three comfortably across up front. (The rear seat will accommodate three, of course. It's OK if backseat riders are shoulder-to-shoulder. You can't do that to the driver.)
About a quarter of Impalas sold last year were six-seaters. Very few of those are likely to carry six people on a regular basis. Customers are buying the appearance of space more than carrying capacity they actually use, said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Firmingham, Mich.
It probably makes sense for Chevrolet on giving the next Impala a comfortable and attractive front seat that appeals to the other 75 percent of its buyers and wins some new customers.
"The six-passenger car is disappearing because baby boomers didn't embrace their parents' sedans," Hall said. "They buy lots of six-passenger vehicles, but those are crossovers and minivans."
Minivans and crossovers are simply better people-movers. The sixth rider in either is more comfortable than the poor slob whose knees are jammed into the radio and climate controls in the front seat of a sedan.
In fact, the sixth passenger isn't likely to miss the six-passenger sedan at all.
Both have been replaced by vehicles that serve the same purpose better and more efficiently. Some buyers still miss the old formula, though.
That raises interesting questions for Chevrolet, which builds the last six-passenger sedan and built the last affordable big coupe. Has the market moved on, or does demand remain to justify building versions of the old-style vehicles?
The Chevrolet Impala is the only six-person sedan you can buy. Other sedans -- regardless of how big they are -- have front bucket seats rather than the three-person front bench seat that was once common.
Until Chevy stopped building it, the Monte Carlo, which uses the same large-car platform as the Impala, was the last remaining big coupe with a mass-market price.
Chevy's not likely to replace the Monte Carlo, even after the next Impala goes on sale in 2013. Most buyers looking for a coupe want a smaller car, like the Scion tC, or a sporty model like a Chevrolet Camaro or Ford Mustang. Buyers who demand steyle and room -- the ones who used to buy big coupes -- have found that sleek models like the Volkswagen Passat CC offer a coupe's visual appeal and the practicality of four doors. The big two-doors that used to fill American roads are gone forever.
The six-passenger sedan is also staring extinction in the face.
Car buyers have moved away from the layout that offered front and rear three-person bench seats. Front buckets give most people more comfort and adjustability, not to mention space for cupholders, power outlets and storage bins in the console between the seats.
Chevrolet is weighing whether to build a six-seat version of the next Impala. Weighing against it, the car will probably be narrower than the current model. It's based on GM's Epsilon II global platform. It's roomy, but probably not enough to fit three comfortably across up front. (The rear seat will accommodate three, of course. It's OK if backseat riders are shoulder-to-shoulder. You can't do that to the driver.)
About a quarter of Impalas sold last year were six-seaters. Very few of those are likely to carry six people on a regular basis. Customers are buying the appearance of space more than carrying capacity they actually use, said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics in Firmingham, Mich.
It probably makes sense for Chevrolet on giving the next Impala a comfortable and attractive front seat that appeals to the other 75 percent of its buyers and wins some new customers.
"The six-passenger car is disappearing because baby boomers didn't embrace their parents' sedans," Hall said. "They buy lots of six-passenger vehicles, but those are crossovers and minivans."
Minivans and crossovers are simply better people-movers. The sixth rider in either is more comfortable than the poor slob whose knees are jammed into the radio and climate controls in the front seat of a sedan.
In fact, the sixth passenger isn't likely to miss the six-passenger sedan at all.
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