Where have all the 3 door cars gone, and why so many SUV?

martingriff

So I in the look out for a new car (211) As I am in a wheelchair I want a 3 door as the door is longer which makes it more easy to get in and to transfer the chair across from me. What I have found out is except for the Mini and maybe Alpha no one is making 3 door cars and most car variety are now SUV types.

I always thought 3 doors were good for people who maybe needed a bit more room. So why the shift in cars.

Yes I know the high end cars have 3 doors but out of my price range

colm_mcm

Sporty variants of hatchbacks started being offered in the last 15-20 years in 5 door rather than 3 (think Golf GTI, Focus ST etc) and it just became acceptable.
There then was no real demand for standard 3 door family sized hatchbacks (often bought in 3 door because they were considered more sporty, sometimes because they were just cheaper) and manufacturers of superminis and family hatches stopped offering them altogether because people just weren’t buying them. Why bother engineering a 3 door model at all?

There are still a few exceptions as you said.

We have over the years lost 3 door estates, 2 door saloon versions of family cars, non-premium 2 door coupes, saloon versions of superminis, estate versions of superminis (Fabia hanging in there for now) and 2 door crossovers.

This is just evolution.

martingriff

colm_mcm wrote: »

Sporty variants of hatchbacks started being offered in the last 15-20 years in 5 door rather than 3 (think Golf GTI, Focus ST etc) and it just became acceptable.
There then was no real demand for standard 3 door family sized hatchbacks (often bought in 3 door because they were considered more sporty, sometimes because they were just cheaper) and manufacturers of superminis and family hatches stopped offering them altogether because people just weren’t buying them. Why bother engineering a 3 door model at all?

There are still a few exceptions as you said.

We have over the years lost 3 door estates, 2 door saloon versions of family cars, non-premium 2 door coupes, saloon versions of superminis, estate versions of superminis (Fabia hanging in there for now) and 2 door crossovers.

This is just evolution.

Ya during the good old years before the bad old years you could practically get any car in any way you wanted

Del2005

You answered your question in the title. People are buying SUVs and aren't buying cars, no matter how many doors they have, so manufactures are meeting demand (the higher profits on SUVs are a bonus.)

the metal presses for body panels alone can run to tens of millions of euro.
If you are selling 80% 5/4 door cars then you never recoup the cost on the presses on the 3/2 door cars unless you are dealing with cars where you can charge a premium for the 3/2 door car e.g. A5 or E class coupe.
It also helps if it is a model where you are selling a convertible because then the presses for the coupe panels may be used on convertibles too.

CoBo55

I thought I saw a 3 door astra earlier today, maybe I was mistaken.

fabsoul

What car do you have now?

martingriff wrote: »

So I in the look out for a new car (211) As I am in a wheelchair I want a 3 door as the door is longer which makes it more easy to get in and to transfer the chair across from me. What I have found out is except for the Mini and maybe Alpha no one is making 3 door cars and most car variety are now SUV types.

I always thought 3 doors were good for people who maybe needed a bit more room. So why the shift in cars.

Yes I know the high end cars have 3 doors but out of my price range

It may not be new but have you not considered a Ford B-max. I always though they were the perfect car due to the absence of a B-pillar. They were available with automatic transmission and I think there are a few up north.

new fiesta is available as a 3 door and is one of the last superminis still to offer 3 doors.

martingriff

CoBo55 wrote: »

I thought I saw a 3 door astra earlier today, maybe I was mistaken.

The thing is with the smaller cars they have the handle at the back of the door and blended into the car

martingriff

fabsoul wrote: »

What car do you have now?

182 Corsa

martingriff

Deleted User wrote: »

It may not be new but have you not considered a Ford B-max. I always though they were the perfect car due to the absence of a B-pillar. They were available with automatic transmission and I think there are a few up north.

new fiesta is available as a 3 door and is one of the last superminis still to offer 3 doors.

The reason I say new is if you buy new the government have a VRT scheme for adaptive Cars

reubenreuben

martingriff wrote: »

So I in the look out for a new car (211) As I am in a wheelchair I want a 3 door as the door is longer which makes it more easy to get in and to transfer the chair across from me. What I have found out is except for the Mini and maybe Alpha no one is making 3 door cars and most car variety are now SUV types.

I always thought 3 doors were good for people who maybe needed a bit more room. So why the shift in cars.

Yes I know the high end cars have 3 doors but out of my price range

Same with colours.
Most cars a dull black, grey,white.
Wheres all the blues,reds,greens gone to.

martingriff

martingriff wrote: »

The reason I say new is if you buy new the government have a VRT scheme for adaptive Cars

Fiesta it is then!

martingriff

Deleted User wrote: »

Fiesta it is then!

Hopefully its in an automatic

kanuseeme

Might be out of your budget, would the electric bmw i3 suit? Its 4 doors, but no pillar

0lddog

kanuseeme wrote: »

Might be out of your budget, would the electric bmw i3 suit? Its 4 doors, but no pillar

Notes in passing ... very low VRT on 'leccy cars

colm_mcm

Secondary note, costs over twice as much as a Corsa

PowerToWait

martingriff wrote: »

The reason I say new is if you buy new the government have a VRT scheme for adaptive Cars

You’ll get residual VRT up to 10k back of used as well. That makes a 2 year old premium marque a much better value option than a new mid range imo.