Only yesterday we came across a report confirming what we knew all along: sales of crossovers, SUVS, and pickup trucks are soaring while small cars sales have gone down. There were several reasons why, but automakers are already taking note of the writing on the wall: profit these days comes from vehicles with greater ride heights and ground clearance. One of the first casualties of this realization? The Buick Verano. According to Automotive News, Buick will begin phasing out the compact Verano sedan in the US shortly.

2017 will likely be its final model year. Still, Verano sales haven't been all that bad, with nearly 32,000 examples sold last year alone. However, "Buick expects that as much as 70 percent of its US vehicle sales to come from crossovers soon after the Envision compact goes on sale next month." Once the Verano is gone, the goal for Buick will be to convince owners to switch to one of its crossovers, but this shouldn't be much of a problem. If those buyers aren't interested in a crossover, Buick still has two sedans, the full-size LaCrosse and the Regal, a redesign of which is coming shortly.

The Verano debuted in 2011 to overall positive reviews. It has good fuel economy numbers but with gas prices being as low as they are, buyers are less interested in light small cars. Another issue with the Verano is, according to one Buick salesman, that it "might be just a little too upscale for a vehicle of that size. For not much more money, customers can get an SUV." As of this writing, GM hasn't confirmed anything regarding the Verano's future, but an announcement is likely coming soon.