Flagship sedans used to be the pride and joy of many automakers as they sat at the top of the lineup and offered all of the best equipment. Some of the latter would eventually trickle down to lesser models, which made these luxury sedans all the more important.
Fast forward to today and, in an SUV-saturated market, it seems like flagship sedans are a thing of the past. While BMW and Mercedes have given us new versions of the 7-Series and S-Class, as well as all-new electric counterparts, they’re the outliers.
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The Audi A8 practically feels abandoned at this point, although there have been occasional hints and rumors about an all-new model. However, spy photographers haven’t encountered a single prototype and the latest reports suggest the car has been pushed back to at least 2027.
Despite the neglect, Audi of America sold 2,259 units last year. That’s a drop in the bucket, but sales actually climbed 42% from 2022.
It’s a similar story at Lexus, where the LS is showing its age despite a handful of improvements over the years. However, the model hasn’t fared as well as the A8 as sales fell 16% to 2,234 units in 2023.
Over at Maserati, the Quattroporte is over a decade old and the company recently announced an electric replacement has been delayed until 2028. Of course, Maserati being Maserati, we’ll believe it when we see it.
Numerous flagship sedans have also fallen by the wayside in recent years. The Cadillac CT6 and Lincoln Continental were unceremoniously killed in America, while the Acura RLX was dropped nearly five years ago. Infiniti, on the other hand, has been without a flagship sedan for what feels like an eternity. Even Jaguar, which was in the midst of developing a new XJ, pulled the plug at the last minute. However, the brand is working on a successor of sorts.
So what do you think? Is the age of the flagship sedan over or just primed for a revival?
