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Bye-bye, station wagons... killed by the minivans and SUVs.
Did you or do you still have one in your life? Our old Ford Taurus wagon is still going strong nearly 20 years since it rolled off the line, and we plan to drive it into the ground.
The news came like a blow to the gut for this child of 1950s suburbia: Volvo, the company most associated with station wagons for the last 20 years, will stop selling wagons in the U.S. The market is drying up.
The Volvo wagon had been on life support for months. After dropping the larger V70 Volvo in 2010, Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, told Automotive News he was giving the V50 another year because there "is a bit more energy in the small wagon segment."
Not enough, apparently. Volvo, which was sold to China's Geely in 2010, sold just 480 V50s last year, about two per dealer. Other makers have been quietly dropping wagons for years as their customers flee to more utilitarian vehicles.
I had a '83 Ford LTD wagon, and '86 Olds Cutlass wagon. We used them as our daily drivers all through the 90s, and slept in them about 100 nights a year on trips, a utility for which they were admirably suited. They were as economical as a sedan on gas, and comfortable on the road, yet the rear-deck space that saved us thousands of dollars a year on motels or campground fees.
I was once talking to my Olds dealer about minivans, and he noticed my 12-year old Cutlass wagon. He sadly said "If I could get a hundred of those in here tomorrow morning, I'd have them sold by the end of the week."
Don't tell that to Volkswagen. The do sell many Jetta Sportwagens. We own one, a TDI model. Pulls like a freight train up hills, gets 40+ mpg, big brakes and great handling. Holds lots of stuff.What's not to love.
One thing I really miss from Europe, and maybe Norway in particular, is the large selection of wagons available. I'm particularly fond of the BMW wagon 3 and 5 series, great cars, with as much room inside as an SUV (if not more) but with fantastic handling. The 3 series wagon looks better than the 3 series sedan too, especially with the M-sport ext. pack.
It's no surprise that wagons are becoming extinct now that CUV's and cross-overs have taken hold. Many Americans are now on their third or fourth SUV and can't even imagine driving a vehicle that isn't raised with an expanded outward view.
I'm actually surprised that Acura decided to release their TSX wagon. I doubt they'll sell more than 4 or 5k, especially without AWD. Interestingly though is the birth of the new premium long-body hatch segment with BMW's 5GT and Porsche's Panamera and MB's CLS Shooting Star scheduled for release later this year.
When I grew up, we had a station wagon for a car. No Volvo though, it was a Ford. Very useful vehicles though a truck or SUV would be better on some of the crummy back roads here.
Last edited by scirocco22; 02-17-2011 at 06:55 PM..
Reason: copyright issues
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