Jaguar is no longer planning to offer station wagons of its sedan models due to decreasing demand for such a body style in Europe, Automotive News reports. The automaker has sold two wagon variants previously – the X-Type in 2004 and the previous-gen XF Sportbrake in 2012.
“The wagon market is massively shrinking. I’m very sad about it but it’s a very difficult market to justify,” said Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design chief. Currently, Europe is the only major market for station wagons, he noted. In 2012, Jaguar said that wagons accounted for about 30% of the large premium car market in Europe.
“The world’s biggest wagon market is Germany, and what do Germans buy? They buy German cars,” Callum said, making a direct reference to BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi, brands that offer wagon variants of key sedan models in Europe.
Over in the UK – Jaguar’s home market and the brand’s second biggest market in Europe – the situation looks even more grim for station wagons. According to analyst IHS Automotive, British car buyers are less interested in buying a wagon compared to countries like Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
As a result, Jaguar has moved its focus to SUVs, starting with the F-Pace. “Wagons are not strong in the US and China, but SUVs are strong in nearly every part of the world,” Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover’s sales and marketing head told the news portal earlier this year, in Geneva.
Meanwhile, Callum is of the expectation that the F-Pace – the brand’s first SUV – will be Jaguar’s best-selling vehicle to date, even beating out the XJ sedan and X-Type. “We will do things that will surprise you but it won’t be wagons,” Callum stated.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
It’s indeed sad, because wagon is still more beautiful than many SUVs in the world. take XF Sportsbrake and F-Pace for comparison.
but i guess this is a logical move for some car manufacturers like Jaguar.