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I always thought station wagons are an American thing but somewhere, somewhat they started disappearing from American roads. Instead, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and VW stuck with it. They also happen to be their most expensive models, sometimes their flagships. Production is low but they have a loyal following. I don't see anything in the European lifestyle that needs station wagons. Small spaces, no pets, smaller families, expensive gas. Are they just for export?
They're not "station wagons"-they're "crossovers".
They're proper "station wagons" of the height, suspension and chassis are essentially identical between the sedan and wagon. And in an earlier time, it was possible in many model-lines to get a 2-door coupe, a 4-door sedan, a 5-door station wagon and even a 3-door wagon, all on the same platform. A notable (if unglamorous) example was the Toyota Corolla... in the 1970s. Remember that? Oh, and it was RWD.
Europeans, whether from sentiment or necessity, tend to do things more compactly. Thus the preference for station wagons over SUVs or pickups.
Maybe they want the lower center of gravity and performance advantage of a low profile vehicle and most of the utility of a minivan/SUV, plus Germans have little style or coolness .
A lot of the new car sales of those brands in Europe go to commercial fleets i.e. rental car companies and companies with a need for company cars. I think they do well in that segment. Wagons offer extra space which makes them very utilitarian while still offering the speed and driving experience of a Audi or Mercedes sedan.
Europeans until very recently considered SUVs designed solely for off-roading and most Europeans will never off-road. SUVs are deemed too slow and cumbersome for Autobahn level driving.
Explained here:
"Wagons aren't on the way out totally because there's a diehard group of buyers who identify with them completely". Germany is a big wagon market and it's not going away.
For them the wagons are superior to SUVs for two main reasons -- their long, sweeping designs and larger rear loading areas. "You might see one or two drop out, but for manufacturers heavily dependent on Europe and Germany, wagons are best".
In short: demand. People like them. They see many advantages of owning a wagon: better fuel economy, improved safety since they sit lower to the ground and stellar styling versus an SUV. All SUV's look alike and boring and many are quite ugly https://www.automobilemag.com/news/u...s-of-all-time/
BTW:
Wagons are all about balancing practicality and performance, ergonomics and efficiency, frugality and fun. The rear cargo space in wagons is as big – and often bigger – than equivalent SUVs.
I always thought station wagons are an American thing but somewhere, somewhat they started disappearing from American roads. Instead, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and VW stuck with it. They also happen to be their most expensive models, sometimes their flagships. Production is low but they have a loyal following. I don't see anything in the European lifestyle that needs station wagons. Small spaces, no pets, smaller families, expensive gas. Are they just for export?
Wagons are still quite popular in Northern Europe, but it is just a matter of time before they will be almost extinct in favor of SUVs/crossovers.
The question ... is why the OTHERS aren't making them.
Crossovers miss the mark.
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