So what's your favorite kind of car to drive? Today's show is a little fun as we share some information and conduct a little survey of our audience. Hi, I'm Kevin Hunter, the homework guy here today with Amazing Lizfit, the homework gal. Given that the prices of vehicles are so much higher than they were not long ago, today's show is an opportunity for you to tell us what you really like or love in a vehicle. The feedback we received from this show will be included in the strategic considerations for the new hassle-free car buying launch coming up in the near future. Yes, we'd love to hear from all of you on what your favorite kind of vehicle to drive is. For me, I'll take a truck any day with a crew cab and then my second choice would be a full-size SUV. I like to vacation and they seem to be the best vehicles for that. I'd have to say while I do agree on trucks when it comes to daily transportation, sedans have my vote. I do enjoy driving a V8 sedan the most because it really has to get up and go. All right, so a little misled foot over here. Sorry. As everyone is responding in the comments section with their favorite kind of vehicle to drive, let's discuss this recent article by Automotive News titled, As Vehicle Prices Soar, Will the Humble Sedan Make a Come Back? They asked this question because after years of declining in popularity, the share of sedan type cars sold in the US compared to light trucks has stabilized and actually grown. Is it a mirage or is it the start of another trend? I'm glad to hear about the Sedan making a comeback. It might be a mirage caused by inventory shortages, but I think it's more of a sign that affordability is becoming more important in its changing consumer behavior. I agree. But whatever the reasons according to Automotive News, Sedans have done something recently that they haven't done in years. We have begun to win back a bigger share of the US market that has been largely dominated by more profitable light trucks. Drop from a number of car makers vehicle lineups the Sedan, Coupe, convertible, hatchback, sports car, and performance car name plates have been phased out over the last several years in favor of crossovers, pickups and SUVs. But in the first quarter, 2023, Sedans represented 21.4% of the 3.6 million vehicle sold in the US, according to Automotive News Research and Data Center. That's up from the car's quarterly low point of 19.6% at the end of 2021. Well, it's not a huge gain in real numbers. It's still noteworthy because the car market share has been steadily declining in the US since 2002, when light trucks first outsold cars. The pace quickened considerably starting in the middle of the last decade when the Detroit 3 began exiting car segments and up until this last quarter, light trucks outsold cars by a 3-to-1 ratio. With industry-wide average vehicle transaction prices hovering around 45,000 and some predicting it could even reach 50,000 by the end of this year, has the US market finally found the car floor or was the latest quarter and anomaly? Tyson, Germany, vice president of Data and Analytics at JD Power, said, it seems like we're approaching some kind of natural boundary where SUVs and crossovers are about 60% of the market and pickups and vans and trucks are about 20% and cars are about 20%. To our viewing audience, I'm curious to know, did you get pushed out of one type of vehicle and force it into another because of affordability issues? If so, let us know what you switched out of and what you're driving now. Take a moment and tell us about it in the comment section down below the video. Auto makers have several theories to explain why cars have recently bucked their declining trend from the simple fact that sedans tend to be cheaper than comparably segmented crossovers to deep-seated preferences of children not wanting to drive with their parents drove. Kids are like, I ain't driving what mom and dad drove. Hein Sheifer, senior vice president of sales at Volkswagen of America said, we are seeing something very similar, I think, probably over the last two years, the continuous deterioration of the compact and mid-sized sedans has started to slow down and it looks like they are now at least in our predictions in the near future, kind of holding their own and I think that's encouraging. Because of the global microchip shortage, Volkswagen made a production decision that led to an unexpected lesson about demand for sedans. In 2021, Volkswagen started selling the TAUS, a similarly sized crossover to complement its popular but more expensive TIG1, but which was aimed at more budget conscious buyers. The TAUS and TIG1 are produced for North America at the automaker's massive plant in Puebla, Mexico alongside the Jetta compact sedan, which has a lower starting price than both crossovers. In response to the chip crisis, the brand sacrificed Jetta production to continue to make more profitable TAUS and TIG1s, the Jetta finished 2022 down 38% to 38,260 and extended the losses in the first quarter of this year down 58% to just 4574. That's not very many. The decision led to 90% of Volkswagen's 67,853 first quarter sales in the U.S. going to its crossovers, which are more profitable. But the achievement, such as wasn't without costs. Shae from went on to say that dealers are really desperately crying out to get Jetta back on the showroom floor despite the fact that we've had TAUS that covers that $25,000 price point. We still have people coming out of sedans and wanting sedans again at some of our stores when there are no Jetta available. The customer hasn't bought a crossover but has gone off and bought another sedan from another brand. Lost the customer there. For customers like those described by Shae for, their choices have shrunk considerably. Not only have automakers called car name plates, but customers interested in the segment have had little to choose from. According to Cox Automotive's latest inventory measurement, the four segments with the tightest day supply are high performance, compact, midsize and subcompact cars, all of which had between 29 to 37 days supply compared with an industry average of 56 days. The few remaining full-size cars were the exception with 104 days supply. Here's a look at what sedans were selling back in 2012, 10 years prior to 2022. Toyota Camry topped the charts at 404,886 with Honda Accord and second place at 331-872. Please on Altima in fourth place at 302-934 and the Hyundai Sonata bringing up the rear at 230605. That's a lot of cars. Jump forward 10 years to 2022, Toyota Camry still tops the list but this time with 295,201 followed by Toyota Corolla with 222,216. Tesla Model 3 in third place with 198,200 and Honda Accord slipped back to fourth at 154,600 under 12. Hyundai Sonata fell off the list, but this time the Hyundai Alonjor made the cut at 117,177. So Liz, looking at this list of sedans and knowing your preference for power, what say you about your top pick or top sedan off this list? Well, even though it's sitting at the bottom, I'd have to go with the charger with the super charge of 800 horsepower. Sounds like it'd be fun. Well, kind of what I thought you'd say. Well friends, what say you? Any other high powered charger levers out there? If not, what's your favorite kind of ride? No doubt, sedans have seen some rebound popularity. I think you'll still be able to find a sedan for some time to come, but it's not going to be like it once was. Like when Ford offered the Fiesta, a Focus, a Fusion, and a Taurus covering all the car segments from one car maker, not to mention the Mustang. I don't see things ever going back to that as far as I can see. Well, that was a lot of sedans in one lineup. We'd be honored to hear from each of you what's your current ride, and if it's not your favorite, what did you trade out of? A truck SUV, crossover, minivan, full-size van, sedan, hatchback, sport coupe, or a convertible. We're not here to judge you. We'd just like to know what type of vehicle tickles your fancy. Friends, it's honestly been a nice break to do a show off the beaten path, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Sometimes it's just nice to talk about cars and why we like to drive them. As I said earlier, I do have a preference for trucks, but what I like most about any vehicle I've ever owned is the independence and freedom it has given me. The freedom that a vehicle offers anyone. My concern is that what's happened in the last few years with pricing getting so far out of hand that has seriously eroded the opportunity for some people to be able to afford to have their own car or truck or SUV or sedan. Alright, if you're new here at the Homework Guide channel, don't forget to subscribe and ring that bell so you don't miss out on our future announcements. Join our fast-growing group of subscribers and become a part of our YouTube family. We have a lot of excitement due for all of you this year. If you happen to be one of our newest subscribers, welcome. Also, thanks to our many faithful followers for coming back and to all of our long-time subscribers out there, you guys rock. God bless you all. I'm Kevin Hunter of the Homework Guide signing off with amazing Elizabeth, the Homework Gale. The Homework Guide team is serving truth and justice in the car business. We gotta go. We gotta go. Not good. Don't do dare put that in the video.