Say Goodbye To BMW Wagons In North America

[JoshCalkins]

535i xDrive Wagon

The station wagon was a vital part of the North American car market in recent decades, but since the widespread adoption of the minivan, SUV, and crossover SUV in recent years, they've become a bit of an endangered species, accounting for a smaller and smaller portion of sales each year. With the upcoming release of BMW's 5-Series GT, which blurs the lines between sedan and wagon, the company's growing field of X-Series crossover vehicles, and the recent confirmation that a 3-Series GT is in the works, it looks like the BMW Touring wagon models will be going the way of the dodo in North America.

5-Series GT

European markets, which are much more fond of wagons than North America, will continue to receive the models, but the outlook is incredibly dim on the other side of the Atlantic. Currently, the 535i xDrive Sports Wagon looks like it will be first on the chopping block. The 5-Series GT will offer more luxury items and a bigger engine (4.4-liter V8 versus an inline 3.0 six) for a base price tag that is only about 8% higher. The only wagon besides the 535i offered by BMW in North America is the 328i Touring, and while its sales figures are a bit better than the 5-Series wagon, its nowhere near the sedan and coupe models.