GM was shooting to build the ultimate import fighter, investing beaucoup bucks in systems and technologies to back it up. The Peugeot 404, introduced in 1960, offered a conventional large station wagon alternative to the innovative Citrons. In a similar situation to the United States, the decline of traditional Break and Familiale models in France was in no small part due to the introduction of the minivan in the form of the Renault Espace in 1984. 
Ford began production of steel-bodied two-door station wagons in 1952 with the Ford Ranch Wagon. With its short length, one could argue that the Rio Cinco was more of a hatchback, but when we look at the thing, well, we think wagon. [68], Saab began producing station wagons in 1959, in the form of the Saab 95 two-door wagon, which was based on the Saab 93 sedan. Some were not updated for consecutive generations in a model's life in Japan. In the heady 1960s, nearly every car sold in America could be had as a wagon, while today station wagons are both very cool and very scarce. When Kia redesigned the Rio for 2006, the Cinco had been sunk-o.
As with the Citrons, changing demands in the French car market led to the end of the large Peugeot station wagon models in the mid-1990s, with the smaller Peugeot 406 becoming the largest station wagon model in the range from 1995. [69] Following a hiatus in station wagon production since the Saab 95 ended production in 1978, the company introduced the four-door Saab 9-5 station wagon in 1997, which was produced until 2010. General Motors adopted the rear-facing third row for most models during 1959-1971 and 19771996. Dodge and Plymouth's infamous K-cars, the Aries and Reliant, were available in coupe, sedan, and wagon variants, so naturally the Chrysler division had to get one, too. 
A product of the AMC/Renault partnership, the Medallion was essentially a Renault 21 reworked for the U.S. market. The popularity of the station wagon - particularly full-size station wagons - in the United States was blunted by increased fuel prices caused by the 1973 oil crisis. [57] It was "recycling" with only a few modifications from the original version and targeted buyers looking for "no-frills" economy. [32] The pillarless models could be expensive to produce, added wind noise, and created structural issues with body torque. For example, Plymouth continued production of wooden bodied station wagons until 1950.
Station wagons experienced the highest production levels in the United States from the 1950s through the 1970s as a result of the American Mid-20th century baby boom. The Vega (see above) was a corporate rather than a divisional creation (big mistake! Since the 1930s, the term shooting-brake (originally a term for hunting vehicles) has been an alternative, if now rarely used, the term for station wagons in the UK. Ford called it the Pinto Squire, as it was essentially a junior version of that diva of the stick-on wood-grain appliqu, the Country Squire. Station wagons can flexibly reconfigure their interior volume via fold-down rear seats to prioritize either passenger or cargo volume. The subsequent generation of GM's full-size station wagons returned to the upward-lifting rear window as had been used in the 1940s. The Marathon's classic 1950s styling lent itself perfectly to the wagon body style. The 95 stayed in showrooms for nearly a decade and a half until the new 99 came along in 1974, and surprisingly, Saab didn't offer the 99 or its replacement, the 900, as a station wagon. In the early 1950s, tailgates with hand-cranked roll-down rear windows began to appear. Its replacement, the 505 was available in both five-seat and seven-seat 'Familiale' versions. 
Full-size General Motors 19711976 wagons the Chevrolet Kingswood, Townsman, Brookwood, Bel Air, Impala, and Caprice Estates; Pontiac Safari and Grand Safari; Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, and the Buick Estate models featured a 'clam shell' design marketed as the Glide-away tailgate, also called a "disappearing" tailgate because when open, the tailgate was completely out of view. Like the rest of Saturn, this was a great idea that was poorly executed. After just two years on the market, the Wagonback was dropped.
Given the Eagle brand's lack of recognition, Americans' distaste for French-built cars, the ongoing fad for minivans, and a name that sounded like an overpriced trinket peddled to nursing-home residents via late-night advertorials, it's no surprise the Eagle Medallion lasted only one more year before it disappeared. [25] The first all-steel station wagon body was the 1935 Chevrolet Suburban. In France, almost all station wagon models are called a "Break", although the spelling is different from the English shooting brake. Ford offered a Pinto wagon right up until the model was discontinued in 1980.
The two-door configuration had shades of VW's air-cooled Type III Squareback, while the angular lines brought back memories of the water-cooled Dasherattributes that must not have resonated with the Fox's cash-strapped buyers, because the Fox wagon was a slow seller. The 1994 Audi RS2, developed in conjunction with Porsche, is considered the world's first performance station wagon. What is a surprise is that a Corolla wagon was still on sale nearly thirty years later. [70] In 2005 a 'Sportwagon' version of the Saab 9-3 was introduced and produced until 2011. The Chevrolet Vega should have been General Motors' greatest triumph but instead turned out to be a major disaster. As of 2019, Volkswagen announced the cancellation of the Sportwagen in the US market. Manufacturers often chose a specific model name to apply to all their station wagons cars as a marketing exercise for example Austin used the Countryman name and Morris used the name Travellers. The roofs of "woodie" wagons were usually made of stretched canvas that was treated with a waterproofing dressing. Ford and Vauxhall produced factory-built station wagon variants of all three of their respective core models (small-, mid- and large-size cars) by the 1970s. The successors to the ID, the Citron CX and Citron XM continued to be amongst the largest station wagon cars produced in Europe, but the model was discontinued in 2000 and a station wagon version was not available for its Citron C6 successor. Like the Vega, the Pinto wagon had only two doors, and of course there was a version slathered in fake "woody" trim. The Saturn L-Series was based heavily on the Opel Vectra, and since the Vectra was offered as a wagon, Saturn brought that over as well, marketing it as the LW200 and LW300. [26] By 1951, most station wagons were being produced with all-steel bodies.[20]. The Cadillac CTS gave rise to a station wagon counterpart, the 2010 CTS Sportwagon, which defied the trend by offering almost as many trim levels as its sedan counterpart. Bummer. As the vanning craze took hold in the late 1970s, Ford made a conversion-ready version of the two-seat Pinto panel wagon called the Pinto Cruising Wagoncomplete with a bubble rear window, though the shag carpet, ceiling mirror, phonograph, and Barry White records were not included. Since the 1990s, full-size station wagons have been largely replaced by SUVs with three-row seating, such as the Chevrolet Suburban, Ford Expedition, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, and Dodge Durango. Chrysler's 1957 models had a roof too low to permit a forward-facing seat in the cargo area,[citation needed] so a rear-facing seat was used for the third row. Prior to 1956, the third-row seats were forward-facing. By the early 1960s, this arrangement was common on both full-size and compact wagons. [63] German-designed station wagons are currently produced by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Volkswagen. Styled in Italy and engineered in South Korea using bits from GM's Opel and Holden divisions, the Nubira wagon was a good and decent public servant, and cheaply priced to boot. Checker Motors Corporation of Kalamazoo, Michigan, made the iconic taxicabs that prowled the streets of New York City and other major American metropolises throughout most of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Finally, in 1999once the wagon segment was all but deadSaab began importing the big 9-5 wagon. ), and two years after it premiered as a Chevyand right in the middle of its quality meltdownPontiac got its own thinly disguised version complete with a wagon called the Astre Safari (which sounds like some sort of organized hippie-stalking event). The SportCross stayed on the market for four glorious years before its base car was replaced by the distinctly less-interesting second-generation IS. The Forenza was a handy little car, affordable and inoffensive to drive, but with the compact SUV ascendant, it didn't stand a chance. Other station wagons sold in the United Kingdom included the Morris 1100 (introduced in 1966), Vauxhall Viva (introduced 1967), Ford Escort (introduced in 1968) and Vauxhall Chevette (introduced 1976). In 1969, Popular Mechanics said, "Station wagon-style follows that of the production sedan of which it is the counterpart. Chevrolet dropped it for '63, no surprise as the new-for-'62 Chevy II (soon to be known as the Nova) was less expensive and had more cargo spaceand no engine under the trunk floor to melt your ice cream. The Citron ID also had a two-part tailgate and hydropneumatic suspension, which allowed a self-leveling ride-height and automatic brake biasing regardless of the load carried. When a new Corolla made its debut for 1998, it was nearly identical to the car it replacedbut the wagon was gone. Of the two body styles, a station wagon roof (viewed in profile) more likely extends to the very rearmost of the vehicle, enclosing a full-height cargo volume[7] a hatchback roof (especially a liftback roof) is likely rake down steeply behind the C-Pillar, prioritizing style[1] over interior volume or cargo capacity, sometimes having a shorter rear overhang and including smaller side windows (or no windows). The Corolla first came to the U.S. in 1968, so it's no surprise a wagon was part of the lineup from the earliest days. The full-size Country Squire model was produced in higher quantities than the other Ford models. The turn of the decade was not a great time for Acura: It was getting beat up over the horrendous bionic beaver-tooth grille on the 2009 TL and there was plenty of grumbling about the new TSX, which was bigger and heavier and didn't get the turbocharged engine everyone was hoping for. Several manufacturers produced steel and wooden-bodied station wagons concurrently for several years. A station wagon (US, also wagon) or estate car (UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward[1] over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door (the liftgate or tailgate), instead of a trunk/boot lid. These have a retractable rear roof section, as well as a conventional rear tailgate that opened down, to carry tall objects upright. Chrysler hasn't sold a wagon under its own banner in the United States since then, though it did offer a 300 Touring wagon (basically, a Chrysler-ized Dodge Magnum) in Europe. However, Japanese manufacturers did not build station wagons in large volume until recently. [44], As the wooden bodies were replaced by steel bodies from 1945 to 1953, manufacturers applied wooden decorative trim to the steel-bodied wagons, as a visual link to the previous wooden style. The Squire was always the highest trim level of any Ford Wagon and included the signature woodgrain applique, and usually additional exterior chrome, better interior trim, special emblems, etc. More rigid curtains could be snapped in place to protect passengers from the elements outside. Mercury offered a basic Bobcat Wagon as well as the wood-trimmed version you see here, called the Bobcat Villagera name that would reappear on the Nissan-designed Mercury minivan that shuttled some of you to and from school in the 1990s and early 2000s. That included the wagon, which probably would have sold well were it 1974 rather than 2004. The first station wagon produced by a French manufacturer was the Citron Traction Avant Familiale model introduced in 1935.
The emergence and popularity of SUVs which closely approximate the traditional station wagon body style was a further blow. Early[when?] The Type 3's rear-engine layout was retained for the station wagon models, but the engine profile was flattened, resulting in a small car offering interior room, as well as trunk space in the front. [8][9] Folding rear seats (to create a larger space for cargo) are also common on both station wagons and hatchbacks.[2]. The first-generation Mazda 6 was a bright light in the sunset of the once-dominant mid-size sedan, because it wasn't just a sedanMazda offered both a swoopy European-style hatchback and a station wagon as well. Auto body-style with its roof extended rearward, rear roof retracted and tailgate hinged down, First steel-bodied station wagon: Chevrolet Carryall Suburban (1937 model shown), 1945 to 1970: Steel-bodied station wagons, Srpskohrvatski / , Chevrolet Kingswood, Townsman, Brookwood, Bel Air, Impala, and Caprice Estates, Buick Roadmaster Estate Limited station wagon, Woodie (car body style) Simulated woodgrain, Morris Mini Traveller / Austin Mini Countryman, Hyundai Avante Touring (Lantra Sportswagon), "Car Design Glossary - Part 2: One-Box (Monospace or Monovolume)", "The Hatchback Is Back (but Nobody Uses the H-Word)", "The Studebaker Wagonaire And GMC Envoy Offer Sliding Roof Fun", "How Porsche Helped Audi Create the World's First Performance Wagon", "The World's Best Station Wagons - Gear Patrol", "Is this Super Rare BMW M5 Wagon Worth $130,000? Because they sold slowly, many gearheads don't even realize these cars were available as wagons. The split-gate features an upward-swinging window combined with a downward swinging tailgate, both manually operated. In fact, Saab didn't offer a wagon in the U.S. market for another 25 years, ceding the segment to Swedish archrival Volvo. But the idea wasn't forgotten: After Saturn folded, Buick took over as Opel West, and today's Buick Regal TourX is based on the Vectra's replacement, the Opel Insignia. [34] The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG in Estate trim is a performance station wagon offered in the U.S. market. [38] In 2012, the Volvo V50 compact station wagon was withdrawn from the U.S. market due to poor sales. Kudos to Mitsubishi: While the few manufacturers making station wagons were trying to make them slick and sexy, more like hatchbacks than proper wagons, Mitsubishi went Volvo 850-style with the Lancer Sportback, complete with a squared-off tailgate and taillights that stretched to the roof. Cargo barriers may be used to prevent unsecured cargo from causing injuries in the event of sudden deceleration, collision, or a rollover.[14]. Ford ceased production of wagons in Australia when the Ford Falcon (BF) ended production in 2010, largely due to the declining station wagon and large car market, but also following the 2004 introduction and sales success of the Ford Territory SUV. Later, station wagons were produced by vehicle manufacturers and included the 1937 Commer (based on the Hillman Minx Magnificent),[62] 1952 Morris Minor Traveller, 1952 Morris Oxford Traveller, 1954 Hillman Husky, 1954 Austin A30 Countryman and 1955 Ford Squire. Manufacture of the wooden bodies was initially outsourced to custom coachbuilders,[27][28] because the production of the all-wood bodies was very time-consuming. Honda (Acura's parent) didn't make many wagons for the U.S. market, but those it did make were excellent, and the TSX was no exception, being, as it was, a rebadged and upgraded European-market Honda Accord Tourer. [58] American Motors' strategy of reintroducing an old design made for two distinct model runs, one of few examples where such a strategy has been successful for an automobile manufacturer.[59]. Build quality on the L-series cars was abysmal, and recalls and TSBs numerous. When Korean automaker Daewoo make its assault on the U.S. market at the turn of the millennium, it did so with a trio of cars that included the compact Nubira, which was offered as a sedan as well as a wagon. It had a seating capacity of eight people, consisting of two front-facing bench seats and two folding inward-facing seats in the cargo area. Early advertising for the Land Rover version took the name literally, showing the vehicle collecting people and goods from a railway station. The wagon sold reasonably well, and when Ford introduced the second-generation Mazda-based Escort in 1991with the Mercury version now called Tracerthe wagon returned, as it did in 1997 when the Escort was revamped. A few years after the Pinto made its debut, Mercury popped up with its own version called the Bobcat, and naturally it was available as a two-door wagon, just like the Pinto. We still miss it. The last two-door wagon available in America, the Geo Storm,[citation needed] was discontinued in 1993. The 'Familiale' version had a front bench seat, a forward-facing three-space bench seat in the middle, and a folding forward-facing three-seat bench in the rear, providing a versatile nine-seat car. However, these vehicles had fewer trim and power train levels than their sedan counterparts. Cargo floor contour: A station wagon often has a fold-flat floor (for increased cargo capacity), whereas a hatchback is more likely to have a cargo floor with a pronounced contour. Several German manufacturers have produced station wagon versions of high-performance models, such as the Audi RS4, Audi RS6, Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-AMG E63, BMW M5 (E60/E61), Volkswagen Golf R and Volkswagen Passat R36 wagons. horrendous bionic beaver-tooth grille on the 2009 TL, that diva of the stick-on wood-grain appliqu, the Country Squire, a wagon version called the IS300 SportCross. The model was offered through the 1973 model year. For example, a sedan might have a model life of four years, but the wagon was not updated for up to eight years (such as the Toyota Corolla wagon built from 1979 to 1987) and the 1987-1996 Mazda Capella wagon). Chevrolet fielded a Vega wagon from the get go, but Ford waited a year before launching the wagon version of the Pinto. Subsequent GM full-size wagons reverted to the door-gate style for its full-size wagons. [74] Production of wagons in Australia ceased in 2017 when the Holden Commodore (VF) ended production. The configuration appeared on the Studebaker Wagonaire station wagon and the GMC Envoy XUV.[11]. The Rio has held down the fort as Kia's subcompact since the turn of the millennium, and for a while Kia offered it as a wagon called the Rio Cinco. In 1983, station wagons represented 15% of the passenger car market,[73] reflecting a trend throughout Europe of increasing popularity through the 1980s, with the vehicles becoming less cargo-oriented.
Reflecting the original purpose of transporting people and luggage between country estates and railway stations,[4] the body style is called an "estate car" or "estate" in the United Kingdom, a "station wagon" in North America, or a "wagon" in Australia and New Zealand. [13] The power operation of both upper glass and lower tailgate became standard equipment in later model years.
However, the 19641972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser and 19641969 Buick Sport Wagon featured raised roof-lines beginning above the second-row seat and continuing all the way to the rear tailgate, resulting in the third row of seats being forward-facing. Daewoo was purchased by General Motors in 2001, and the brand disappeared from the U.S. in 2002. Imported station wagons, despite remaining popular in other countries,[37] struggled in the United States. The late 1950s through the mid-1960s was also the period of greatest variation in body styles, with models available without a B-pillar (called hardtop or pillarless models) or with a B-pillar, both in 2-door and 4-door variants. Early[when?] Germany is the largest market for station wagons in the world, with some 600700,000 vehicles sold each year - amounting to 20% of all car sales. Smaller station wagons were marketed as lower-priced alternatives to SUVs and minivans. Chrysler created the Eagle brand for cars sold at Jeep dealerships, and the Medallion became an Eagle for '89. The Storm, based on the Isuzu Impulse, was a nifty little economy car disguised as a sport coupe, notable for styling that Gen Xers loved and Baby Boomers didn't understand. In the United States, early models with exposed wooden bodies became known as woodies.
Daewoo Motor followed suit a year later with the first-generation Nubira. The Astre was dismissed by the press as little more than an expensive Vega, though it did have one key advantage at the very end: In 1977, Pontiac substituted its new 151-cubic-inch (2.5-liter) Iron Duke four-cylinder for the Vega's troublesome aluminum-block 2.3. A variety of other designs have been employed in the past. Station wagons have evolved from their early use as specialized vehicles to carry people and luggage to and from a train station, especially to estates, and have been marketed worldwide. Checker stopped making Marathon wagons after 1974, but the sedan stayed in production until 1982. Raising the manual gate required a 5 lb pull via a handhold integral to the top edge of the retractable gate. In 1956 Ford responded to the Nomad and Safari with its own sporty two-door wagon, The Ford Parklane. The commercial vehicle status was also reflected on those vehicles' registrations For example, there were special "Suburban" license plates in Pennsylvania used well into the 1960s, long after station wagons became car-based. Pontiac's version of that car, which is best known as the Chevy Monza, was called the Sunbird. [54] In 1956, Studebaker introduced three new two-door wagons in Pelham, Parkview, and Pinehurst trims.[55]. But it was nice while it lasted.
South Korean manufacturers do not have a strong tradition in producing station wagons. [21][34] While the K platform was also used for station wagon models (such as the Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries), the minivan would soon eclipse them in popularity. In its early years, Saab was best known for the funky-looking 93 and 96 coupes, but it also made a nifty little wagon called the Saab 95 (not to be confused with the 9-5). Like Ford and Toyota, Nissan built a wagon version of its subcompact car, but its designers took a slightly different (and, as it turns out, prophetic) approach: Rather than a boxy wagon, they made a car with a fast roofline that looked more like a long, four-door hatchback.
The second-gen Sentra wagon, shown here, followed the same theme and was even available with four-wheel drive, making it a competitor for Subaru (and, arguably, a harbinger of the Honda Accord Crosstour). The Toyota Camry spent much of the 1980s and 1990s battling with the Honda Accord and Ford Taurus for the title of America's bestselling mid-size car, and one of the tools in the Camry's arsenal was a station wagon. Other differences are more variable and can potentially include: It has become common for station wagons to use a platform shared with other body styles, resulting in many shared components (such as chassis, engine, transmission, bodywork forward of the A-pillar, interior features, and optional features) being used for the wagon, sedan and hatchback variants of the model range.[3]. The first postwar station wagon to be based on a passenger car chassis was the 1949 Plymouth Suburban, which used a two-door body style. Kia doesn't break out Rio sales by body style, but we can't imagine the Cinco was very popular as we rarely saw them on the streets back then and we never see them now. Time for a reminder! [71], In 2017 station wagons accounted for 31% of all sold cars.[72]. ", "E61 BMW M5 Touring: One of the best M cars of all time", "A Short History of Station Wagons in the USA", "The Last, Great, Gasp of the American Station Wagon", "Motoring Memories: The history of the station wagon", "Postwar Station Wagons: Mom's Car Makes a Comeback", "About Cars; Chewing Over the Art Of Automotive Design", "Europe's station wagons flourish - The Washington Times", "Comparison of passenger vehicle economy and greenhouse gas emission standards around the world", "BMW Might Kill 5 Series Wagon in Favor of GT Crossover", "Toyota's own hybrid models are eating away at Prius sales", "Volkswagen Is Ending Golf Sportwagen Alltrack Production", "2018 Volvo V90 Wagon Will Be Custom Order Only in America", "Against the Grain: 21 Woodies That Weren't Station Wagons", "DI-NOC Siding: Restoring a station wagon's wood grain is now quick and easy", "Jeep's Wagoneer Making Fake Wood Grain Fashionable Again? The wagon wasn't very popular; only 26,000 out of 282,000 Corvairs sold in '61 were Lakewoods, and in '62 fewer than 6,100 out of 307,000 Corvairs were wagons. Many modern station wagons have an upward-swinging, full-width, full-height rear door supported on gas springs often where the rear window can swing up independently. Examples include "Avant", "Caravan", "Kombi", "Sports Tourer", "Sports Wagon", "Tourer", "Touring" and "Variant". It shared its wheelbase and length with Vega coupe versions and was produced in the 19711977 model years. [29] The first mass-produced steel-bodied station wagon was the 1946 Willys Station Wagon, based on the chassis of the Jeep CJ-2A. [20] They were originally called "depot hacks" because they worked around train depots as hacks (short for hackney carriage, as taxicabs were then known). By the late 1950s, the wooden trim was replaced by "simulated wood" in the form of stick-on vinyl coverings.[45][46]. With other brands, the niche previously occupied by station wagons is now primarily filled with a similar style of Crossover SUV, which generally has a car underpinning and a wagon body. The Parklane was a one-year only model, succeeded by the Ford Del Rio in 1957. The Ford Taurus wagon was discontinued in 2005 and the Ford Focus station wagon was discontinued in 2008. The station wagon variants of the smaller Mercedes-Benz C-Class line-up were dropped in 2007 and the BMW 5 Series Touring models were discontinued in 2010, due to slow sales in the United States with only 400 wagons sold in 2009. Cantrell began supplying woodie bodies for Chrysler vehicles, which continued until 1931. Manufacturers may designate station wagons across various model lines with a proprietary nameplate.
The Ford Country Squire is a model that was easily recognized by its simulated wood trim[47][48] and the "Squire" trim level was an available option in a few different Ford model ranges, including the Falcon Squire, Fairlane Squire, and in the 1970s the Pinto Squire. Suzuki did well with its rugged 4x4s but it never could seem to come up with a car Americans liked, and the Esteem was another in a long list of failures.
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