The position of the sedan has caused some splits in the industry. Nissan, for example, has stoically stood by the car, and Honda and Toyota still see strong sales of the Civic and Corolla. On the flip side, we have also just learned that Ford's and Chevy's hasty exit from the sedan market in America has cost them. Rather than customers moving from the Focus and Cruze into the brand's SUVs, they've gone to another brand for a car.

There's also a fashion element, and Simcoe points out that people "... want to park something in their driveway that their neighbors admire." Right now, the way to stand out is to not buy yet another SUV, but a nice looking sedan or a wagon instead.