VW Drops Golf-Based Wagons in U.S.

Volkswagen AG confirms that it will discontinue the Alltrack and SportWagen variants of its Golf small car after the 2019-model year—the last for the current generation Golf.

The SportWagen and its all-wheel-drive Alltrack variant were launched in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Both models are supplied to the American market by VW’s plant in Puebla, Mexico.

The carmaker attributes its decision to drop the two wagons to the continuing shift from cars to taller SUVs and crossover vehicles. SUV/crossover vehicles accounted for half of VW’s U.S. sales through the first half of 2019, while sales of the Golf wagons fell 36% during the period.

The move will leave VW without a wagon in the U.S. for the first time since 1965. To fill the void, the carmaker plans to release three new crossovers in the next two years. The rollout will include the Atlas Cross Sport large SUV later this year and the all-electric ID Crozz early next year. Another unnamed model, which will be slotted below the Tiguan crossover, is due in 2021.

Previous media reports have speculated that VW won’t offer Golf wagons in any market when the eighth-generation Golf debuts early next year. The lineup is expected to include a 48-volt mild-hybrid variant but not a full electric vehicle so as not to compete with the new ID nameplates.