General Motors Has Just Three Sedans Left In The U.S. Market
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We’ve heard it a million times before – crossovers and SUVs are taking over. Scratch that – they’ve already dominated the U.S. auto market, pushing the sedan body style to the margins in terms of sales and options. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the General Motors vehicle lineup, which currently includes just three sedan models.
For the moment, the only 2021 model-year General Motors sedan models on offer include the Cadillac CT4, the Cadillac CT5, and the Chevy Malibu. However, the list of GM sedans that recently got the axe is long and varied. The Chevy Sonic is one of the latest to fall by the wayside, as is the Buick Regal, although it should be said that the Regal was more of a hatchback/fastback than a sedan. Regardless, we can also point to the recently deceased Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Impala, and Cadillac CT6 as examples of GM’s dwindling sedan lineup.
GM’s crosstown rival, Ford Motor Company, currently has no sedans on offer.
The Cadillac CT6 was discontinued in the U.S.
That said, while General Motors and Ford cut from their respective sedan crops, there are a few automakers out there that still offer a relatively robust sedan lineup in the United States. For example, Volkswagen Auto Group offers six sedan models, including the VW Jetta, VW Passat, Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A6, and Audi A8. Hyundai/Kia/Genesis offers 11 sedan models, including the Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Rio, Kia Forte, Kia K5, Kia Cadenza, Kia K900, Genesis G70, Genesis G80, and Genesis G90.
The point is this – while General Motors is busy slashing its sedan lineup, some automakers are sticking to it.
Chevy Malibu is one of the last GM sedans in the U.S.
Part of the reason GM is cutting its sedan lineup is in response to underperforming results for many of the nameplates mentioned above. As General Motors continues to pour money into longterm investments like all-electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle technology, models like the Chevrolet Impala head to the chopping block.
Do you wish GM would bring back some of its sedans? If so, which ones? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to subscribe to GM Authority for ongoing Chevrolet news, Buick news, Cadillac news, and General Motors news coverage.
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Bring back the Impala!
I can remember a time when the Buick sedan was the car of choice I’m my family. In the 1960s the first car we owned was the Buick wildcat. We kept this car for 10 years.
After the Buick wildcat, our family purchased the Buick centurion.
And after keeping the Buick centurion for several years, my mother purchased a Buick LeSabre.
In the era of the Toyotas, the Hondas, the Mazdas, and all the other foreign imports it is so easy to forget that the Buick cars was so prominent in my family. It was the car of choice. As time 2ent on I began to deeply regret that the American Auto industry simply could not compete against foreign imports sedans. I was especially disappointed in GM because some of their cars even though the were not competitive, you could tell that they were basically good cars, and withore diligence and attention to detail especially at the design stage they could have really been very good cars, even great.
The turning point for Buick I think was the Buick Lacrosse. I felt that this car was the very best chance that Buick had to really computer against the foreign imports. The Buick lacrosse was the very best car that buck has come out with in a long time. I was azed at how well it rode, how well designed it was. I felt that was a great car.
Unfortunately Buick was not able to take the car to the next level and improve to keep it competitive, and now the only country that receives the Buick sedan is China.
This is a terrible disapoonent. And I think it is extremely depressing that general motors has failed to make competitive sedans it it’s own domestic auto market. This is not a good situation for the company and it is not good for the country.
I really do think that Buick should attempt to manufacture sedans for the US consumer and not just SUVs. Cadillac definitely needs to up it’s game considerably and mkle the CT4 and CT5 more competitive with the likes of Mercedes ànd BMW. And Buick should be able to design and build a car that can compete with Lexus ES350. The Lacrosse was the best sedan that Buick made, and the Buick Lucerne was a very good forerunner.
For Buick and GM in general to so easily concede the domestic sedan market to the foreign competition is disturbing, and will have long term economic consequences. I really hope that a day will come that Buick will once again make high quality sedans America will be proud of,
I truly agree with your post. From what I understand, the last couple of years Buick made the LeSabre, it had the same customer satisfaction rating as Lexus. I’ve had Buick sedans for the last 20 years and I’m going to be needing a new sedan. As I’ve had problems with my new Dodge a number of years ago with no customer assistance from Chrysler, I refuse to buy one again. Ever. I’ve always been a GM guy and Ford isn’t in my plans. I’m embarrassed to say that I’m going to start looking at foreign. But, have no idea which.
alfred jr. you didnt mebtion the Buick Le sabre with the best engine aver made , the indestructible 3800 V6 , a great family sedan got as good or even better mpg than even the smallest of japanese imports and would last for half a million miles or more, i see late 80’s and early 90’s Buick Lesabre’s on a daily basis and they must be nearuing a million miles even with athe average 20,,000 miles driven by the average Amerucan auto… nothing would outlast the 3800 V6 named one o the best and perhaps the best automobile engine ever made by WARDS AUTOMOTIVE,, you can look it up you’re a skeptict
My father-in-law (who would know such things) told me that GM’s 3800 V-6 used to be GM’s truck engine back in the day. Don’t know if he was right or not, but he was a real motorhead.
Doug,
I don’t think your father-in-law is right. The Buick V-6 was launched in the early 1960s in Buick’s small cars but the engine didn’t have the power of a V8 or the smoothness of an inline six and never caught on with consumers. It was an oddity like 3 or 5 cylinder engines are today. GM discontinued it not long after it launched and sold the design to Jeep. When the energy crisis of 1973 occurred they bought the engine back and relaunched it mid-decade including a novel turbocharged version in the 1976 Buick Century. Thereafter the 3.8 V6 became a ubiquitous engine in many GM models as it was especially well-suited to transverse mounting in FWD cars and GM converted most of their fleet to that configuration in the ‘80s. The V-8s of the day couldn’t fit sideways between the front wheels nor could the long inline sixes but the 3.8 V6 was the perfect solution so the engine that was an oddity at first became something GM eventually used in much of its fleet. It was later rechristened as the 3800 and continued on for many years. I don’t think it was ever used in trucks though other than maybe during the Jeep years.
Ci2Eye-My father-in-law seemed to know what he was talking about. He was a motorhead from wayback. So far in fact that he was a Studebaker guy. Thanks for the history lesson. Although my Buick LaCrosse has 130,000 miles on it, I know it’s going to be a few years yet before I have to get another car. I’ll be doing some online research and even look at European. Who knows?
America has accepted mediocrity. An electric Mustang -really!
A 4 door electric Mustang mind you too…. weren’t they talking of making it into an SUV?
Gm needs to design a sedan from the ground. Maybe look to the AMC. Yes it was 40ish years ago, but ahead of it’s time . The original crossover.??? But yes less electronics. sedans are more fuel efficient? No.
Hello Greg. I have to agree with your post/opinion. My mom had an AMC Concord for years and it was quite reliable. It had a great sound system. Before that, my family’s sedan was a Rambler Classic. And who can forget the great days of racing a Plymouth Barracuda with my AMX? When my brother went away to college, my dad got him a Nash Metropolitan. Convertible of course. Fun times. I still wish I had my AMX. But yes. The American auto industry is still fixated on short term profits for its shareholders and market share be damned. Now, they have to pay attention to that. And because the paltry assortment of sedans, I’ve started looking at European. Maybe S. Korean. It’ll be a few years yet.
Pathetic that US automakers cannot compete with a Camry or Subaru…WHY?
This is a huge mistake.
Steve-It would seem to me that profitability (of course there’s that) would have to do with GM’s not wanting to compete with Camry or Subaru and their not being able to design/build efficiently. Most of their compacts and their smaller cars have been a bust for them. Lack of continuity for constant improvement? So we get the Vega and the Pinto? Give me a break. Toyota stuck it out for the American market and look where they are. A couple of years ago GM made $6 billion and still closed down 6 North American plants. It just pissed me off that they did that. And now my Buick LaCrosse is to be made in China? No thanks. Thanks for letting me vent.
oh they could compete…. but thanks to consumer reports ville bias against General Motors ,and cars buyers accepting consumer reports assessment, G,M lost many thousands of sales to inferior imports such as toyota , honda, etc etc
Personally, I would be happy if GM would pick a sedan (Impala) and keep making the same model for years, like Henry Ford did with the model T. Put a frame under it. It would be a runaway favorite for police, taxis, and ubers. It should be much cheaper than retooling every year. They could pass those savings on to me.
A full size sedan to be made and improved on year after year? True, the Impala had a niche, but apparently, not enough for the stockholders. I do know that many of the countries that compete with GM have universal healthcare, so their cars cost a bit less with the same profitability. I’m not sure how much the cost of health insurance is built into each GM car, but a few years ago, it was well over $1,000. But to me, that’s no excuse for stopping production altogether. Another niche in the market to stop catering to.
GM needs to bring back the Impala for sure. That car is/was the best kept secret. I asked Impala owners what they thought of their Impala and got an overwhelming “Absolutely love it” for an answer. It’s amazing how people love to give their opinion of their car at the gas pump or car wash. Was it lack of marketing? Or have Americans become brainwashed into thinking only imports can make cars anymore. I really think if the Impala had a Honda name badge on it, it would still be around. Yes, I call Honda, Toyota imports. I don’t care where they are built. Follow the money trail and a big check is written and leaves the USA. That is another sad story.
Steve409-You ARE absolutely right in labelling Honda and Toyota as imports. Just because some models are made in the US, doesn’t mean they’re domestic. But, it’s financials. The companies save money by producing their cars in the US. From what I understand, even though a Honda is made in the US, about $5,000 from the sale of the car still ends up in the Bank of Japan. They have shareholders to answer to also. But, who know? GM has proven time and again that they don’t have enough faith in their production quality and/or their marketing capabilities to maintain and improve a model for a long period of time. The Impala is just another model to bite the dust.
i can’t believe they dumped the buick la crosse.
jonny-GM didn’t really dump the LaCrosse but it’s now being made in China. The first thing I thought of when they announced this is “What could possibly go wrong?” When they stopped making the LeSabre, it had the same customer satisfaction rating as the Lexus. So, of course, the solution to that was to change the model designation. Changing production to China was made after GM made $6 billion in 2018 (I believe it was 2018). They closed 6 NA production plants. Now, GM has only 3 sedans domestically made Cadillac and Malibu. I’m not sure yet, but I’ll probably be looking at European models the next time I buy a car.
GM is actually loosing me as a long time customer due to this lack of sedan move. I love my Buick LaCrosse, but now am switching to Toyota Lexus since they don’t offer a sedan I wish to drive now 🙁
Um, I think Ford makes the Mustang and Focus. Those are cars. And Chevy has the Corvette and Camaro
….and the Malibu !
I Know, but the Malibu was already mentioned in the article. I was simply rectifying his omission error.
Bring back the Impala.
I presently have a 2021 Cadillac CT5 but I wish that Cadillac/GM would bring back the Cadillac CT6. As a matter of fact, I wish GM would make an upscale Buick with the Wildcat or Rivera nameplate. That being said, my wife will always want a SUV and I will always want a sedan or coupe.
I can understand how you feel. But luckily, both my wife and I don’t care for SUVs. When Buick LeSabre achieved the same customer satisfaction rating as Lexus, GM discontinued the model (or at least the name) and now we have the LaCrosse. Brilliant marketing move wasn’t it? I’m on my second. But now they’re made in China, so I’m going to have to rethink my next sedan purchase. Probably European.