Mercedes-Benz will reportedly discontinue wagons after 2030 due to low demand in China and the USA, its two largest markets in the world. They plan to focus on SUVs and new possible designs to keep the demand high.
Wagons, like 2 door coupes have had a decline in demand over the last decade – a decade that saw the SUV revolution take over most markets and ultimately initiating the death of the sedan. 4 door coupes have replaced the popularity of 2 door coupes, manufacturers came up with a design that incorporates the slanting roof line of a traditional coupe on a 4 door sedan or SUV. BMW were first to mainstream the SUV coupe with the BMW X6 in 2007 while Mercedes mainstreamed the idea of a 4 door coupe with the CLS back in 2004.
Wagons may be on the verge of extinction but there is a huge chance that Shooting Brakes and Liftbacks will live on. Traditionally, shooting brakes were 2 door wagons but Mercedes and Porsche brought back the idea of 5 door shooting brakes with the CLS and Panamera respectively. Liftbacks on the other hand are even more popular due to their nature of a slated roof line, think of a 4 door coupe wagon like a CLS wagon which is effectively labeled as a CLS Shooting Brake.
Currently, Mercedes offers a C-Class wagon known as the T-Model in Germany and Estate in other markets. It is offered alongside the E-Class wagon. Whether these models will get a liftback transformation to make them more interesting is yet to be known.
via automobilwoche
