My name is Brian. This is The Daily.
Mercedes-Benz saying goodbye to wagons.
In the United States, only Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, Volvo, and Subaru will currently sell you a station wagon (yes, the Outback is a station wagon). Acura, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Jaguar and Volkswagen all tried to make them work at some point over the last 15 years, but to no avail. Buick’s effort, the Regal TourX, was actually quite the looker! So were Cadillac’s CTS Wagon and Acura’s TSX Sport Wagon! Sure, it may be a car enthusiast’s most paramount duty to support and defend the production of station wagons, but we’ve seen this movie before. The average American car buyer would much rather have a higher seating position. “Station wagon” is a deplorable term. Not cool.
Mercedes-Benz has now acknowledged that the love is gone for this practical and stylish segment as we know it. Here in the U.S. you can purchase an E-Class All-Terrain and an AMG E63 S Wagon, but both are on borrowed time. The next generation E-Class, due for a 2023 unveiling, is not expected to receive a wagon variant. Even though the all-new 2023 C-Class will be getting an All-Terrain variant in the old country, we will not be receiving it here. The company has admitted that sales of their existing wagons have not been substantial enough to justify. By the end of the 2020s, they will completely disappear.
Mercedes claims that the concept of the station wagon will, however, continue on in new-age formats thanks to electric platforms. Car companies are rethinking how they can package vehicles that don’t have long transmission tunnels or mechanical drivetrains to work around. As such, there will be opportunities to reimagine the station wagon in the coming years. If you like the idea of low-riding, sleek crossovers with car-like dynamics, you have until 2030 at Mercedes to get one with an internal combustion engine. That’s a long time in car years, and things could always change along the way. Only time will tell.