Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 4
4
* AUGUST 2017
9 WAGONS, THAT'S IT
Out of about 250 nameplates for sale in Canada it's slim pickings on the
wagon front, but the automakers left selling them are indeed tenacious
By ROBERT BOSTELAAR
O T TAWA C O R R E S P O N D E N T
TO STATION WAGON FANS, THE
news that General Motors won't bring
its new Buick Regal TourX to Canada
could seem like one more sign of
their favourite body style's inevitable
demise.
But there's no need to circle the
wagons - if enough actually remain to
form a circle - just yet.
Even as GM was touting sedans,
Mercedes-Benz confirmed that it is
finally bringing its long-promised C
class wagon to Canada. And that car
won't be sold in the United States.
Station wagons come and go - and
some don't come at all - but the configuration endures in Canada as a market niche.
"There still remains a small core
wagon audience, and every once in a
while, car manufacturers seem to want
to court that," says Robert Karwel,
senior manager at J.D. Power Canada.
How small is that audience?
According to J.D. Power's sales tracking, traditional wagons represent
about one in 33 new-passenger-car
transactions in Canada, down from
about one in 16 as recently as 2012.
LUXURY NICHE
And the decline comes even as the
overall car segment continues to give
ground to pickups and utility vehicles, slipping to 34 per cent of the
new-vehicle market in 2016, based on
Automotive News Data Centre figures.
Robert Karwel, senior manager
at J.D. Power Canada, says there
remains a small core wagon audience in Canada, "and every once in
a while, car manufacturers seem to
want to court that."
(PHOTO: J.D. POWER CANADA)
With such low numbers, it's no surprise that the wagon category is largely occupied by luxury brands that are
able to wring out more profit per vehicle. Of nine models sold in Canada that
are described by their manufacturers
as wagons, seven are from Volvo or
Mercedes.
"These brands, being European,
are going to be building those variants
for their home market anyway," said
Karwel. "It's just a little bit
easier for prestigious luxury
brands to bring that option to
those customers."
Cargo and people capacity
are what sold Ford Country
Squires and Dodge Monaco
Crestwoods in the 1970s, but
styling and handling define
the segment today.
Enthusiasts are raving about
the rocketship lines of Volvo's new
V90. Mercedes bills its E class as the
"quintessential luxury wagon" and
views the larger wagon's popularity as a good sign for the upcoming C
class, shown with a diesel engine at
auto shows in 2016 but arriving in
Canada with a 2.0-litre turbo gasoline
powerplant.
MOVING PRODUCT
"We don't give out the numbers by
body style but I can tell you that we
sell every single wagon we can get our
hands on," said Mercedes-Benz Canada
spokeswoman JoAnne Caza.
For mainstream carmakers, however, any decision to offer a wagon
must be weighed against extra parts
inventory and marketing costs, especially when a manufacturer can offer
utility vehicles as alternatives.
With a simplified model line,
there's a better chance a dealer will
have the right car in the right color for
the customer to buy.
As well, the non-luxury market
"has to deal with pragmatism and
pricing a little bit more," Karwel
says. "Consumers have clearly chosen a preference for SUV body styles
and that will not change any time
soon."
WAGONS IN ALL BUT NAME
Of course many of those
body styles, from budget five-
WAGONS HERE
SOLD IN CANADA
The Volkswagen Golf Alltrack is
one of just nine wagons for sale in
Canada. ( P H O T O : V O L K S W A G E N )
2017 Mercedes-Benz E class Wagon
2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG E63
2018 Mercedes-Benz C class Wagon
2017 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack
2017 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
2017 Volvo V60
2017 Volvo V60 Cross Country
2018 Volvo V90
2018 Volvo V90 Cross Country
WAGONS THERE
SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES
The new Buick Regal TourX will be
sold in the United States, but not in
Canada. ( P H O T O : G M C A N A D A )
door hatchbacks to Porsche's elegant,
square-roofed 2018 Panamera Sport
Turismo ($109,700 to start), are wagons
in all but name.
But Karwel believes new models
that celebrate their station-wagoness
are bound to appear.
"What I find, when there's a dearth
of wagons, a manufacturer will bring a
wagon body style back and propose it
as, 'Hey this is a cool, attractive vehicle and there's not a lot out here of
them. Come and check this out.'"
- ANC
All of the wagons for sale in Canada
are either Volvos, Volkswagens or
Mercedes-Benz models, such as the
2018 C-class wagon.
(PHOTO: MERCEDES-BENZ CANADA)
2017 Audi A4 Avant
2017 Audi A6 Avant
2018 Buick Regal TourX
2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake
* Arrives in late 2017
WAGON-ISH
ALTERNATIVES
WAGONS IN EVERY WAY
BUT THE NAME
2017 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro
2017 BMW 3-series Touring*
2017 Fiat 500L
2017 Ford C-Max
2017 Mini Clubman
2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
2017 Subaru Outback
* Sold in the United States as the
Sports Wagon
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - Intro
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 1
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 2
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 3
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 4
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 5
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 6
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 7
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 8
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 9
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 10
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 11
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 12
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 13
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 14
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 15
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 16
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 17
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 18
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 19
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 20
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 21
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 22
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 23
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 24
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 25
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 26
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 27
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 28
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 29
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 30
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 31
Automotive News Canada - August 2017 - v2 - 32
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