Volkswagen will end production of the Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack wagons at the end of 2019, leaving the brand's U.S. dealers wagonless for the first time since 1965.
The slow-selling two-wheel and all-wheel-drive wagons are victims of the growth of crossovers, which now account for more than half of Volkswagen's sales in the U.S. The brand plans to add three crossovers over the next three years: the Atlas Cross Sport, the ID Crozz battery-electric vehicle and a subcompact crossover expected to arrive in 2021.
Crossovers "have definitely assumed the mantle of family haulers from the station wagons and minivans we remember from our childhoods," Volkswagen of America CEO Scott Keogh said in a statement. "But as we look towards the future, both our expanded [crossover] lineup and the upcoming ID family of electric vehicles will bring the opportunity to combine the style and space people want in a variety of ways."
Both wagons have been built at the automaker's plant in Puebla, Mexico. The same plant also produced the Beetle, which ended production this month.
Through the first six months of the year, Volkswagen said it sold just 5,123 SportWagens and Alltracks in the U.S., down 36 percent from the previous year.
