Sedan and seductive aren't exactly synonymous. But Detroit automakers are on a mission to change that by putting some sexy back into passenger vehicles largely neglected during the sport utility vehicle boom of the past decade.
In their heyday two and three decades ago, when U.S.-made passenger cars ruled the roads, sedans were all about style. But those cars gave way to SUVs and fleets of non-descript Camrys, Accords, Tauruses and Malibus.
Now a revival kicked off nearly three years ago by the boldly styled Chrysler 300 is picking up speed.
“It can be done and it is being done,” Erich Merkle, an auto analyst with Grand Rapids-based IRN Inc., said of the return to sedan style. “The American car companies are finally starting to say, 'We've got to be coming out with a more competitive product.'”
Midsize market needs magic
Infusing their midsize car offerings with a little allure is critical for U.S. automakers, say analysts and company executives, if they're going to regain market share from foreign rivals that now rule the segment.
Most of today's American sedans aren't doing the trick when it comes to luring back those coveted drivers, many of whom are one-time sedan drivers who moved into higher-style sport utility vehicles. When those customers went back to passenger cars but weren't willing to settle for a hum-drum four-door.
Detroit's design gurus know this and are working frenetically to build passenger cars that can get a Toyota or Honda loyalist to consider buying American.
“We need to create some magic in the midsize cars — magic we had all the way through the 1980s,” Troy Clarke, GM president for North America, said in an interview at the L.A. Auto Show media preview. “We enjoyed a high conquest when people went from sedans to SUVs. But as people switched back, they went to other cars.”
Foreign models have edge
Some of Detroit's best efforts will be on display this week in Los Angeles, a city where Toyota-clogged highways depict the challenges faced by the Big Three.
GM rolled out the 2008 version of its well-regarded Saturn Aura, which will be available as a hybrid. In one of its most ambitious efforts on the sedan design front, GM will debut an overhauled Chevrolet Malibu in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The car features a striking two-tone interior that harkens back to a 1955 Corvette classic.
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group debuted the convertible version of its redesigned Sebring, complete with unusual hood strakes and cup holders that can heat or cool beverages. Ford Motor Co. has its hot selling Fusion sedan on display.
All the vehicles have gotten decent reviews, but they're not nearly enough to get the job done, said Alexander Rosten, manager of market pricing and analysis for Edmunds.com.
Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have been so wildly successful in the midsize segment that stealing back significant market share will require an entirely new approach to sedans, he said.
The job is daunting.
Toyota and Honda car sales topped 1.9 million vehicles through October. The domestic automakers sold 2.6 million cars in that same period. Nissan Motor Co., meanwhile, has been getting rave reviews for its sporty new Altima, which brings some much-needed flair to the Japanese automakers' sedan lineup.
“They need to make sedans better than the competition — not just as good,” Rosten said of Detroit's Big Three. “They need to have a better look, provide more content and be cheaper than the imports.”
The Aura and Fusion are just as good as the offerings from Honda and Toyota, he said, but they must be better to compete given the loyalty of those companies' buyers.
Domestics need spunk
There are two ways to appeal to sedan buyers, said Ford design chief J Mays. First is to appeal to the enthusiasts looking for a classic American rear-wheel-drive vehicle. The next is to work the rest of the market, the crowd looking for an attractive, efficient car.
Then there are potential sedan buyers who may instead be wooed by a wagon or crossover vehicle that combines the characteristics of a car and SUV, Mays said.
“We're recommitted to design leadership from the top down,” he said, pointing to the Ford Mondeo sedan, which Ford sells in Europe and appears in the James Bond flick “Casino Royale.”
To compete, domestic automakers need products that have European design, spunky engines and features such as MP3 hookups and flashy entertainment systems, analysts say.
On the design front, the carmakers have a prime opportunity to corner the market on style, something foreign rivals haven't done with the basic sedan, IRN's Merkle said. The Altima is proof that sedans can be stylish, he said.
Even Porsche has plans to build the 4-door Panamera.
“This has been a place where the American automakers have an opportunity,” he said. “Honda and Toyota designs are boring.”
