This was first reported by the folks at Car and Driver, and despite how sad it is, the news shouldn’t be surprising. The wagon has struggled for relevance in a market where the crossover is king. Back in 2021, even wagon stalwart Volvo admitted that SUVs are its bread and butter, and while it wasn’t going to completely discontinue wagons, it needed to cut back. Later that year, Volvo reduced its wagon lineup in America by killing off the standard V90 and V60 models.
Mercedes’ New Strategy
For Mercedes-Benz, the wagon apocalypse started in 2020, when Mercedes-Benz Chief Operating Officer Markus Schäfer reportedly said that wagons had dwindling appeal and that a focus on EVs meant no real need for the long roofs that enthusiasts love. In 2022, German auto media reported that Mercedes planned to kill off wagons by the end of the decade. This was apparently part of a long-term strategic plan announced in May 2022, which involves Mercedes-Benz downsizing and moving further upmarket. Now we know a little more about this plan and it’s quite dramatic. According to Car and Driver, Mercedes is betting on a future where luxury is a bit different than it is now. In this future, Mercedes-Benz products will be prepared to ease pressure on the driver, extended personalized mobility services, and the brand will hone in on creature comfort as one of its key brand values. All of those buzzwords apparently add up to a less diverse set of body styles. I suppose you don’t need a wagon to have great creature comforts. Of course, Mercedes’ new brand strategy is also about boosting profits. Car and Driver figures that based on what it has seen, Mercedes is offering 33 body styles for customers in Europe and the States, but just 14 of them will come out of the other end of this plan.
And if you still had any doubts, the publication got direct quotes: Ouch. Currently, buyers in the United States can buy an E-class wagon from Mercedes-Benz. Thankfully, that’s set to get another generation. However, it too will fall in 2030. Car and Driver notes that the E-class will be the marque’s last wagon. Over in Europe, the C-class wagon will make it to 2028 and the E-class will get another generation before dying in 2030. The CLA-class will also get another generation in 2025, where it will ride on the electric MMA platform. Mercedes calls the CLA-class a shooting brake, and it will be the last of its kind, too.
Wagons Were A Staple Of Mercedes-Benz
When 2030 rolls around, the wagon will have been a part of Mercedes history for 77 years, so it’ll be sad to see it go. The automaker traces its wagon roots back to 1953, from Mercedes-Benz: Those models sparked a long line of attractive and practical wagons that last to this day. From the legendary W123 to the current E-class, enthusiasts love Mercedes wagons, but it looks like not enough of them are sold to justify their continued existence. Series production of the S 123 Estate model commenced in April 1978 at the Bremen factory. The rear end, with its extended roof, and the low load compartment sill, turned the new model variant into a true sensation of space: even when the standard seats for the driver and up to four passengers are fitted, the station wagon still had room for a load of 523 litres up to the edge of the windows. With the rear seat bench folded down, the load space even swallowed loads of 879 litres up to the edge of the windows.
More Dying Models
As for what else is dying? Well, the bloodbath continues. The C-class and E-class coupes and convertibles will be discontinued somewhere between this year and next year. Those cars will be consolidated into a single convertible model. The CLS-class will be offed next year, and the four-door versions of the AMG GT are expected to die next year or in 2025. Even those SUVs that are shaped like coupes aren’t going to make it. GLE and GLC Coupes will get another generation before going extinct. Thankfully, it’s not all bad news. There’s a new GT coupe coming this year and in 2026 there will be a new four door coupe as well as a new SL roadster. The report indicates that these new models will be electric, along with a new AMG GT. Speaking of AMG, apparently, that division and Maybach will be getting a bigger focus, too. That makes sense given the strategy is to move further upmarket. So, fun isn’t entirely dead at Mercedes, but one thing’s for sure, the automakers we know and love are changing, and some enthusiasts will be left behind. I reached out to Mercedes-Benz for more information. Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member. Foot traffic was exceptionally light and then Patrick realized it was Saturday, the day after Thanksgiving. Lizzy’s parents had been expecting them and he felt slightly guilty about having to cancel last minute and trek all the way to the office. But he was paid handsomely for his job and he reminded himself that one day his income would set him and Lizzy free from the stresses of corporate life. His mind started to drift and now he tried to close his eyes while inhaling his cigarette and imagine a field with nothing in it except corn stalks and scare crows. For a moment, Patrick felt like he was 10 years old again, shirking his responsibilities as a farm hand and hiding hours away while his parents labored to make ends meat. Those Iowa days were long gone and Patrick was almost surprised at his lack of emotion, now replaced by a stoicism that had hardened over the last decade. He was suddenly jolted by the bark of a highly strung motor, desperately gulping air and fuel as it unleashed its fury inside the high-rise landscape. As it turned the corner on 10th street, Patrick was able to make out a rakish front end draped in silver bodywork with a subtle bulge that started at the grill and ran center down the entire length of the freakishly, long hood. As it neared, two vents, adorning either side of the bulge closest to the windscreen came into focus, and then he spotted the 3 pointed star in the center of the grill. This definitely wasn’t Lizzy’s C Class. The Mercedes accelerated and then braked with authority, coming to a stop at the intersection where Patrick was standing. He took in the full profile, first starting with enormous side vents just aft of the front wheels and then fixated on the large doors which appeared to be scissor hinged. The shape was abruptly truncated at the rear with oversized rear taillights wrapping around the rear quarter and juxtaposing with the cut line of the rear bumper. A steeply raked rear windscreen gave the shape an almost shooting brake side profile. As it sat there idling impatiently, Patrick discerned the sound of a V8 emanating not from the rear of the vehicle but the side. And that was when he saw the two pipes protruding unapologetically from the lower front sill, just behind the wild looking turbine wheel encasing a monster front rotor. It looked vaguely familiar, almost like a modern take on the Gullwing 300SL and in a flash Patrick recalled the NY Auto Show a few years back. Lizzy’s friend, Bill, had invited them to attend as guests of the press. Underneath the lights, occupying a formidable section of the Javits Center, was the same car Patrick stared at with the intensity of a micro surgeon. He played back Bill’s concise but expert commentary and could see his lips forming the words “limited production SLR”. No sooner had those words gelled in his mind when the light turned green. A guttural growl emerged and the SLR was whisked away in what seemed like a few seconds, and the sound right before the 1-2 shift was higher pitched overlayed with the faint whine of a supercharger. It was a surreal moment, and the SLR continued accelerating through the gears waking up each sequential traffic light until it was just a tiny spec on the horizon. After a few miles, one of the lights must have gone back to sleep and Patrick could hear the rev matching of the manic, supercharged V8. Lizzy was probably home and soon she would be chasing errands in her cookie cutter C300, not thinking for a second about the shape or what propelled it down the road. Patrick took one last puff of his cigarette, flicked it into the gutter and began dialing Lizzy’s cell phone. Today, he told himself, was when he would finally start living. And marketer’s bullshit. Clearly, I chose the wrong name. lol Now, I personally have two issues with CUVs – price premium and space inefficiency. I do think a lot of buyers of popular CUVs – RAV4s et. al. – are missing out on not having a Camry (or similar) Wagon available. A wagon would get you more useful room, in the same way most sedans have more useful room. In my experience, a CUV has a lot less space – especially knee room – than a car at the same price point. So if you’ve got a car full of teenagers, you would want a wagon over a popular CUV for the same cash. But… That’s not the whole story. CUVs good for people with babies, because it’s easier to put in the car seat – and kids don’t have to worry about the awful knee room on offer (“wait this sounds like a man with long thighs bitter about having to ride in the back of these things!” And you’re correct.) This is ALSO why trucks are bad for families with babies. You don’t want to be too high or too low, and CUVs are the right height for baby. There are also people on the OTHER end of spectrum. Know why Kia Souls are extremely popular among the elderly? Ease of getting in and out. Compact CUVs are total grandma cars, because they don’t actually need the space but they do need the ease of entry. So we have people with babies and little old ladies, and they would be better suited to a CUV than a wagon. And those are people who make up a significant proportion of the CUV buying public. That’s not even bringing up the big ones – an argument can be made in terms of minivan vs. big CUV, but a wagon isn’t going to be in the conversation. As a large man of unorthodox proportions, I don’t want a mainstream CUV – they are typically a poor fit. Still, there are indeed drivers of those who would be happier in a wagon or sedan if given the chance. And there drivers for whom a CUV the best option. But all of this is a thought exercise because none of these theoretical wagons exist. Regarding wagons working for most SUV drivers: if we were all homo economicus maximizing utility, you are correct. But lots of folks equate wagons with fugly. Gimme an AMG wagon and I’m happy. Of course my family would disown me. They can just do what Tesla does with 3 and Y.. basically add a few inches onto the seat and ride height and call it an SUV.
