Why has sedan styling basically turned into a 4 door coupe?

[jtvang125]

Just about every sedan now has this design trend of shortening the rear end. Sort of a mash between a roadster with it's sloping roof line and rear window and the 4 doors of a stationwagon. Some have a trunk lid just big enough for a spoiler while some slope straight to the rear lights (Honda Civic). Not necessarily a bad thing but just curious.

 

[NutBucket]

Aerodynamics.

 

[ElFenix]

roasters have no roofs. sedans have formal roofs. coupes have swoopy roofs, and that's what most 4 door cars are now. because aerodynamics.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback

 

[FeuerFrei]

And why is aerodynamics a concern?
Unnecessarily stringent fuel economy regulations.
Max that MPG!!!

 

[dave_the_nerd]

And why is aerodynamics a concern?
Unnecessarily stringent fuel economy regulations.
Max that MPG!!!

 

[mindless1]

They assume that if you don't buy a truck or SUV that you don't need to haul anything, plus no full sized spare (if any) means a trunk can be downsized (resized in that dimension including trunk opening) while increasing available cabin area, and by not sticking out behind the wheels as far, improves handling.

 

[_Rick_]

Also styling has to change every 3 years, so that everyone can tell, that you're poor/tasteless/uncool, if your car doesn't look like the latest styling fad. If they can
Since sportiness is a major design driver these days, and coupés used to be sporty, you can make your sedan sporty by making it look like a coupé. Then middle aged men with disposable incomes can buy that coupé without their wife telling them, that they need a proper car. Makes for better economics of scale, if you can sell the same pressed sheet metal to small families, travelling accountants and mid-life crisis afflicted gentlemen. Which is probably also why SUVs are working so well.

Make a sporty looking sedan and a butch looking SUV, and you have 90% of the car market covered.

 

[BurnItDwn]

Also styling has to change every 3 years, so that everyone can tell, that you're poor/tasteless/uncool, if your car doesn't look like the latest styling fad. If they can
Since sportiness is a major design driver these days, and coupés used to be sporty, you can make your sedan sporty by making it look like a coupé. Then middle aged men with disposable incomes can buy that coupé without their wife telling them, that they need a proper car. Makes for better economics of scale, if you can sell the same pressed sheet metal to small families, travelling accountants and mid-life crisis afflicted gentlemen. Which is probably also why SUVs are working so well.

Make a sporty looking sedan and a butch looking SUV, and you have 90% of the car market covered.

This same 90% also doesn't care if their sporty "looking" sedan actually performs.
They don't care if their butch "looking" SUV actually "is" butch. (no skidplates, no rock sliders, plastic bumper covers, etc)

 

[mindless1]

...Then middle aged men with disposable incomes can buy that coupé without their wife telling them, that they need a proper car... mid-life crisis afflicted gentlemen.

The closer I got to middle aged the more I realized this train of thought is just a load of nonsense.

It's not a mid-life crisis to buy what you wanted, that you would have had all along if you didn't previously need something more practical to haul kids around.

Guess this is just the same old attack-the-male when younger men and women feel inferior and are hatin' on someone that saved up enough money for a nice ride.

You're never too old to have toys! They just change into cars/boats/tools/etc past a certain age.