Station Wagon
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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 over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door (the
liftgate A tail lift (term used in the UK, also called a "liftgate" in North America) is a mechanical device permanently installed on the rear of a work truck, van, or lorry, and is designed to facilitate the handling of goods from ground level or a load ...
or tailgate), instead of a trunk/boot lid. The body style transforms a standard
three-box The configuration of a car body is typically determined by the layout of the engine, passenger and luggage compartments, which can be shared or separately articulated. A key design feature is the car's roof-supporting pillars, designated from fron ...
design into a two-box design — to include an A, B, and C-pillar, as well as a D-pillar. Station wagons can flexibly reconfigure their interior volume via fold-down rear seats to prioritize either passenger or cargo volume. The ''
American Heritage Dictionary American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
'' defines a station wagon as "an automobile with one or more rows of folding or removable seats behind the driver and no luggage compartment but an area behind the seats into which suitcases, parcels, etc., can be loaded through a tailgate." When a
model range The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance. The methods used to categorise cars into ...
includes multiple body styles, such as sedan,
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
, and station wagon, the models typically share their platform,
drivetrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...
and bodywork forward of the A-pillar, and usually the B-pillar as well. In 1969, ''
Popular Mechanics ''Popular Mechanics'' (sometimes PM or PopMech) is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do-it-yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation o ...
'' said, "Station wagon-style ... follows that of the production sedan of which it is the counterpart. Most are on the same wheelbase, offer the same transmission and engine options, and the same comfort and convenience options." 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. However, the demand for the station wagon body style has faded since the 2010s.


Name

Reflecting the original purpose of transporting people and luggage between country ''estates'' and
train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...
s, the body style is called an "estate car" or "estate" in the United Kingdom or a "wagon" in Australia and New Zealand. The depot hackney or taxi, often on a
Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
chassis with an exposed wood body, most often found around railroad stations was the predecessor of the station wagon body style in the United States. These early models with exposed wooden bodies became known as woodies. In Germany, the term "Kombi" is used, short for ''Kombinationskraftwagen'' ("combination motor vehicle"). Station wagons have been marketed using the French term "break de chasse" (sometimes abbreviated to "break"), which translates as "hunting break", due to shared ancestry with the
shooting-brake Shooting brake (sometimes mis-identified as "shooting break") is a car body style which originated in the 1890s as a horse-drawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game. The first automotive shooting brakes were ...
body style. Manufacturers may designate station wagons across various model lines with a proprietary nameplate for marketing and advertising differentiation. Examples include "Avant", "Caravan", "Kombi", "Sports Tourer", "Sports Wagon", "Tourer", "Touring", and "Variant".


Design characteristics


Comparison with hatchbacks

Station wagons and
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
s have in common a two-box design configuration, a shared interior volume for passengers and cargo and a rear door (often called a tailgate in the case of a wagon) that is hinged at roof level. Folding rear seats (to create a larger space for cargo) are also common on both station wagons and hatchbacks. Distinguishing features between hatchbacks and station wagons include: * D-pillar: Station wagons are more likely to have a
D-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door Sedan (automobile), sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or Greenhouse (automotive), greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, ...
(hatchbacks and station wagons both have A-, B-, and C-pillars). Cargo volume: Station wagons prioritize passenger and cargo volume — with windows beside the cargo volume. 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 — a hatchback roof (especially a
liftback A liftback is a variation of hatchback with a sloping roofline between 45 and 5 degrees. Traditional hatchback designs usually have a 90 to 46 degree slope on the tailgate or rear door. As such the liftback is essentially a hatchback with a more ...
roof) is likely rake down steeply behind the C-Pillar, prioritizing style over interior volume or cargo capacity, sometimes having a shorter rear overhang and including smaller side windows (or no windows). Other differences are more variable and can potentially include: *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. *Seating: Some station wagons have three rows of seats, whereas a hatchback will have two at most. The rearmost row of seating in a station wagon is often located in the cargo area and can be front-facing, rear-facing, or side-facing. *Rear suspension: A station wagon may include reconfigured rear suspension for additional load capacity and to minimize intrusion in the cargo volume. *Rear Door: Hatchbacks usually feature a top-hinged
liftgate A tail lift (term used in the UK, also called a "liftgate" in North America) is a mechanical device permanently installed on the rear of a work truck, van, or lorry, and is designed to facilitate the handling of goods from ground level or a load ...
for cargo access, with variations ranging from a two-part liftgate to a complex tailgate that can function either as a full tailgate or as a trunk/boot lid. Station wagons have also been equipped with numerous tailgate configurations. Hatchbacks may be called Liftbacks when the opening area is very sloped and the door is lifted up to open. A design director from General Motors has described the difference as "Where you break the roofline, at what angle, defines the spirit of the vehicle", he said. "You could have a 90-degree break in the back and have a station wagon." It has become common for station wagons to use a
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
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 The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance. The methods used to categorise cars into ...
.


Tailgate designs

Many modern station wagons have an upward-swinging, full-width, full-height rear door supported on
gas spring A gas spring is a type of spring that, unlike a typical mechanical spring that relies on elastic deformation, uses compressed gas contained within an enclosed cylinder sealed by a sliding piston to pneumatically store potential energy and wit ...
s — often where the rear window can swing up independently. A variety of other designs have been employed in the past.


Split gate

The split-gate features an upward-swinging window combined with a downward swinging tailgate, both manually operated. This configuration was common in the 1920s through the 1940s, and remained common on many models into the 1960s.


Retractable window

In the early 1950s, tailgates with hand-cranked roll-down rear windows began to appear. Later in the decade, electric power was applied to the tailgate window so it could be operated from the driver's seat as well as by the key in the tailgate. By the early 1970s, this arrangement was available on full-size, intermediate, and compact wagons. The lowered bottom hinged tailgate extended the cargo area floor and could also serve as a picnic table for "tailgating." * Side hinge: A side-hinged tailgate that opened like a door was offered on some three-seat station wagons to make it easier for the back row passengers to enter and exit their rear-facing seats.


Retractable roof

These have a retractable rear roof section, as well as a conventional rear tailgate that opened down, to carry tall objects upright. The configuration appeared on the
Studebaker Wagonaire The Studebaker Wagonaire was a station wagon produced by the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, from 1963–1966. It featured a retractable sliding rear roof section that allowed the vehicle to carry items that would otherwise be too t ...
station wagon and the GMC Envoy XUV.


Dual and tri-operating gates

In the United States, Ford's full-size station wagons for 1966 introduced a system marketed as "Magic Doorgate" — a conventional tailgate with retracting rear glass, where the tailgate could either fold down or pivot open on a side hinge — with the rear window retracted in either case. Competitors marketed their versions as a ''Drop and Swing'' or ''Dual Action Tailgate.'' For 1969, Ford incorporated a design that allowed the rear glass to remain up or down when the door pivoted open on its side hinge, marketing the system, which had been engineered by Donald N. Frey as the "Three-Way Magic Doorgate". Similar configurations became the standard on full-size and intermediate station wagons from GM, Ford, Chrysler, and
American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC). GM added a notch in the rear bumper that acted as a step plate; to fill the gap, a small portion of the bumper was attached to the tailgate. When opened as a swinging door, this part of the bumper moved away, allowing the depression in the bumper to provide a "step" to ease entry; when the gate was opened by being lowered or raised to a closed position, the chrome section remained in place making the bumper "whole".


Clam shell

Full-size General Motors 1971–1976 wagons — the Chevrolet Kingswood, Townsman, Brookwood, Bel Air, Impala, and Caprice Estates; Pontiac Safari and Grand Safari;
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Oldsmobile in three generations from 1971 until 1992. The first full-size station wagon produced by Oldsmobile since the 1964 Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta, the Custom ...
, and the
Buick Estate Buick Estate is a nameplate that was used by the Buick division of General Motors, denoting its luxury full-size station wagon from 1940 to 1964 and from 1970 to 1996. The Estate nameplate was derived from the term country estate in wealthy su ...
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. On the clamshell design, the rear power-operated glass slid up into the roof and the lower tailgate (with either manual or optional power operation), lowered completely below the load floor. Where manually operated, the lower tailgate was counterbalanced by a torque rod similar to the torque rods used in holding a trunk lid open, requiring a push to fully lower the gate. Raising the manual gate required a 5 lb pull via a handhold integral to the top edge of the retractable gate. The power operation of both upper glass and lower tailgate became standard equipment in later model years. Station wagons with the design were available with an optional third row of forward-facing seats accessed by the rear side doors and a folding second-row seat. They could accommodate sheets of plywood or other panels with the rear seats folded. The clamshell design required no increased footprint or operational area to open, allowing a user to stand at the cargo opening without the impediment of a door — for example, in a closed garage. The GM design, as used in a Pontiac Grand Safari, with a forward-facing third-row seat and the clamshell tailgate was less popular with consumers and was described as the "least convenient of all wagon arrangements" with difficult passenger egress and problematic tailgate operation in comparison to the 1974 AMC Ambassador, Dodge Monaco, and Mercury Colony Park, full-size station wagons conducted by ''Popular Science'' magazine. Subsequent GM full-size wagons reverted to the door/gate system for its full-size wagons.


Lift-gate

A simplified, one-piece lift-gate on smaller wagons. The
AMC Hornet The AMC Hornet is a compact automobile, manufactured and marketed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and made from 1970 through 1977 — in two- and four-door sedan, station wagon, and hatchback coupe configurations. The Hornet replaced the c ...
Sportabout was introduced for the 1972 model year featuring a "liftgate-style hatchback instead of swing-out or fold-down tailgate ... would set a precedent for liftgates in modern SUVs." The 1978-1996 GM's mid-size station wagons also returned to the upward-lifting rear window/gate as had been used in the 1940s. * Swing-up window: An upward-lifting, full-height, full-width rear door, where the window on the rear door can be opened independently from the rear door itself. The window is also opened upwards and is held on pneumatic struts. The
Renault Laguna The Renault Laguna is a large family car that was manufactured and marketed by Renault for 21 years in three body styles: hatchback, coupé, and estate. The first generation Laguna was launched in 1994, the second generation was introduced in 200 ...
II station wagon and
Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
wagon featured this arrangement. * Fold-up license plate: Wagons (including the
Volvo Amazon The Volvo Amazon was a mid-sized car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1956 to 1970 and introduced in the United States as the ''122S'' at the 1959 New York International Auto Show. The Amazon shared the wheelbase, tall posture and h ...
wagon, early models of the
Range Rover Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to ...
, and the
Subaru Baja The Subaru Baja is an all-wheel-drive, four passenger, Coupé utility, four-door utility manufactured from 2002 to 2006 by Subaru and marketed for model years 2003 to 2006. The Baja combines the handling and passenger carrying characteristics of a ...
) had an upward folding hinged
license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate (Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificatio ...
attached to the lower tailgate of the split rear door. When the tailgate was folded down, the plate hung down and remained readable. The wagon versions of the
Citroën DS The Citroën DS () is a front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations, across three series of one generation. ...
, variously called the Break, Familiale, or Safari, had a different solution: two number plates were fitted to the tailgate at right angles to each other so one would be visible in either position.


Safety equipment

Cargo barrier A cargo barrier is a vehicle accessory installed into motor vehicles to aid occupancy safety when carrying loads or domestic pets, (usually dogs) in the rear section of a vehicle. Other terms used for cargo barriers include: dog guard, mesh parti ...
s may be used to prevent unsecured cargo from causing injuries in the event of sudden deceleration, collision, or a rollover.


Performance models

Performance models of station wagons have included the 1970 Ford Falcon (XY) 'Grand Sport' pack, the 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu SS-454 and the 1992 BMW M5 (E34). The 1994
Audi RS2 The Audi RS 2 Avant, usually known as Audi 80 RS 2, was a limited edition, high-performance Audi five-door, five-seat estate car (station wagon), manufactured from March 1994 to July 1995.ETKA official factory data Collaboratively designed as a ...
, developed in conjunction with Porsche, has been described as the world's first performance station wagon. This was followed by the
Audi RS4 The Audi RS 4 is the high-performance variant of the Audi A4 range produced by Audi Sport GmbH for AUDI AG, a division of the Volkswagen Group. It sits above the Audi S4 as the fastest, most sports-focused car based on the A4's "B" automobile pla ...
and
Audi RS6 The Audi RS 6 is a high-performance variant of the Audi A6 range, produced by the high-performance subsidiary company Audi Sport GmbH, for its parent company Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, from 2002 onwards. The first and se ...
. The 2006-2008 Dodge Magnum SRT-8 model brought together power and performance in a roomy station wagon. Other German manufacturers have produced station wagon versions of their performance models, such as the Mercedes-AMG C63, Mercedes-AMG E63, BMW M5 (E60/E61), Volkswagen Golf R and Volkswagen Passat R36 wagons. The Cadillac CTS-V Wagon introduced for 2011 was considered the most powerful production station wagon offered with a manual transmission and the Corvette-engined version continued until 2014.


History by country


United States


1910 to 1940: Origins and woodie wagons

The first station wagons were built in around 1910, by independent manufacturers producing wooden custom bodies for the Ford Model T chassis. They were originally called "depot hacks" because they worked around train ''depots'' as ''hacks'' (short for
hackney carriage A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab, black cab, hack or London taxi) is a carriage or car for hire. A hackney of a more expensive or high class was called a remise. A symbol of London and Britain, the black taxi is a common s ...
, as taxicabs were then known). They also came to be known as "carryalls" and "suburbans". Station wagons were initially considered
commercial vehicle A commercial vehicle is any type of motor vehicle used for transporting goods or paying passengers. The United States defines a "commercial motor vehicle" as any self-propelled or towed vehicle used on a public highway in interstate commerce to t ...
s (rather than consumer automobiles) and the framing of the early station wagons was left unsheathed, due to the commercial nature of the vehicles. Early station wagons were fixed-roof vehicles, but lacked the glass that would normally enclose the passenger compartment, and had only bench seats. In lieu of glass, side curtains of canvas could be unrolled. More rigid curtains could be snapped in place to protect passengers from the elements outside. The roofs of "woodie" wagons were usually made of stretched canvas that was treated with a waterproofing dressing. The framing of the wooden bodies was sheathed in steel and coated with tinted lacquer for protection. These wooden bodies required constant maintenance: varnishes required re-coating and expansion/contraction of the wood meant that bolts and screws required periodic re-tightening. Manufacture of the wooden bodies was initially outsourced to custom coachbuilders, because the production of the all-wood bodies was very time-consuming. Eventually, car manufacturers began producing their own station wagon designs. In 1922, the Essex Closed Coach became the first mass-produced car to use a steel body (in this case, a fully enclosed sedan body style). In 1923,
Star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
(a division of
Durant Motors Durant Motors Inc. was established in 1921 by former General Motors CEO William "Billy" Durant following his termination by the GM board of directors and the New York bankers who financed GM. Corporate relationships Durant Motors attempted t ...
) became the first car company to offer a station wagon assembled on its production line (using a wooden wagon body shipped in from an outside supplier). One of the first builders of wagon bodies was the Stoughton Wagon Company from Wisconsin, which began putting custom wagon bodies on the Ford Model T chassis in 1919 and by 1929 the Ford Motor Company was the biggest producer of chassis' for station wagons. Since Ford owned its own hardwood forest and mills (at the
Ford Iron Mountain Plant Kingsford is a brand of charcoal briquette used for grilling, along with related products. Established in 1920, the brand is owned by The Clorox Company. Currently, the Kingsford Products Company remains the leading manufacturer of charcoal in ...
in what is today
Kingsford, Michigan Kingsford is a city in Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan, named for the developer Edward G. Kingsford. The population was 5,139 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from the 5,133 recorded at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ir ...
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula) it began supplying the wood components for the Model A station wagon. Also in 1929, J.T. Cantrell began supplying woodie bodies for Chrysler vehicles, which continued until 1931. By the 1930s, station wagons had become expensive and well-equipped vehicles. When it was introduced in 1941 the
Chrysler Town & Country The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third of the Chrysler minivans introduced, the 1990 Town & Country shared its nameplate with the flagship Chrysler st ...
was the most expensive car in the company's model range. The first all-steel station wagon body style was the 1935 Chevrolet Suburban. As part of the overall trend in the automotive industry, wooden bodies were superseded by all-steel bodies due to their strength, cost, and durability. 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. Ford Model T Woody Station Wagon -besopha.jpg, Wooden-bodied station wagon: 1914 Ford Model T 1929 Ford Model A Station Wagon.jpg, 1929 Ford Model A 1934 Buick Woodie Station Wagon (27705328712).jpg,
Buick Series 50 The Buick Super is a full-sized automobile produced by Buick from 1940 through the 1958 model years, with a brief hiatus from 1943 through 1945. The first generation shared the longer wheelbase with the top level Roadmaster while offering the sma ...
Woodie station wagon: 1934 1937 Chevrolet Carryall Suburban.jpg, First steel-bodied station wagon: Chevrolet Carryall Suburban (1937 model shown) Pontiac Woodie.jpg, 1940 Pontiac Special Series 25


1945 to 1970: Steel-bodied station wagons

The first all-steel station wagon was the 1935 Chevrolet Suburban, which was built on the chassis of a
panel truck A panel truck (also called a panel delivery or pickup truck-based van) in U.S. and Canadian usage is a small delivery truck with a fully enclosed body. It typically is high and has no rear windows in the rear cargo area. The term was first used ...
. However, most station wagons were produced with wooden bodies until after World War II. When automobile production resumed after World War II, advances in production techniques made all-steel station wagon bodies more practical, eliminating the cost, noise, and maintenance associated with wood bodies. The first mass-produced steel-bodied station wagon was the 1946 Willys Station Wagon, based on the chassis of the Jeep CJ-2A. In 1947, Crosley introduced a steel-bodied station wagon version of the Crosley CC Four. The first postwar station wagon to be based on a passenger car chassis was the 1949
Plymouth Suburban The Plymouth Suburban is a station wagon produced from 1949 until 1978. 1949 to 1955 Prior to 1949, Plymouth had offered only a 4-door "woodie" station wagon, which was expensive not only to build, but also to buy. In 1949, Plymouth revoluti ...
, which used a two-door body style. Several manufacturers produced steel and wooden-bodied station wagons concurrently for several years. For example, Plymouth continued the production of wooden-bodied station wagons until 1950. The final wooden-bodied station produced in the United States was the 1953 Buick Super Estate. By 1951, most station wagons were being produced with all-steel bodies. 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 middle of the 20th century was marked by a significant and persistent increase in Total fertility rate, fertility rates in many countries of the world, especially in the Western world. The term ''baby boom'' is often used to refer to this part ...
. The late 1950s through the mid-1960s was also the period of greatest variation in body styles, with models available without a
B-pillar The pillars on a car with permanent roof body style (such as four-door Sedan (automobile), sedans) are the vertical or nearly vertical supports of its window area or Greenhouse (automotive), greenhouse—designated respectively as the ''A, B, ...
(called hardtop or pillarless models) or with a B-pillar, both in 2-door and 4-door variants. The 1956
Rambler Rambler or Ramble may refer to: Places * Rambler, Wyoming * Rambler Channel (藍巴勒海峽), separates Tsing Yi Island and the mainland New Territories in Hong Kong * The Ramble and Lake, Central Park, an area within New York City's Centr ...
was an all-new design and the 4-door "Cross Country" featured the industry's first station wagon hardtop. However, the pillarless models could be expensive to produce, added wind noise, and created structural issues with body torque. GM eliminated the pillarless wagon from its lineup in 1959, while AMC and Ford exited the field beginning with their 1960 and 1961 vehicles, leaving Chrysler and Dodge with the body style through the 1964 model year.


1970 to 1990: Competition from minivans

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 The 1973 oil crisis or first oil crisis began in October 1973 when the members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), led by Saudi Arabia, proclaimed an oil embargo. The embargo was targeted at nations that had supp ...
. Then in 1983, the market for station wagons was further eroded by the
Chrysler minivans The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North Ameri ...
, based on the K platform. While the K platform was also used for station wagon models (such as the
Plymouth Reliant The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries are mid size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first " K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passeng ...
and
Dodge Aries The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries are mid size cars introduced for model year 1981 as the first " K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant and Aries were the smallest cars to have the traditional 6 passen ...
), the
minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
would soon eclipse them in popularity. The US CAFE standards provided an advantage to minivans (and later SUVs) over station wagons, because the minivans and SUVs were classified as trucks in the United States, and therefore subject to less stringent fuel economy and emissions regulations. Station wagons remained popular in Europe and in locations where emissions and efficiency regulations did not distinguish between cars and light trucks.


1990 to present: Competition from SUVs

The emergence and popularity of
SUV A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definiti ...
s which closely approximate the traditional station wagon body style was a further blow. After struggling sales, the
Chevrolet Caprice The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960s ...
and the
Buick Roadmaster The Buick Roadmaster is an automobile that was built by Buick from 1936 until 1942, from 1946 until 1958, and then again from 1991 until 1996. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and s ...
, the last American full-size wagons, were discontinued in 1996. Smaller station wagons were marketed as lower-priced alternatives to SUVs and minivans. Domestic wagons also remained in the Ford, Mercury, and Saturn lines. However, after 2004 these
compact Compact as used in politics may refer broadly to a pact or treaty; in more specific cases it may refer to: * Interstate compact * Blood compact, an ancient ritual of the Philippines * Compact government, a type of colonial rule utilized in British ...
station wagons also began to be phased out in the United States. The
Ford Taurus The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiat ...
wagon was discontinued in 2005 and the
Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The ...
station wagon was discontinued in 2008. An exception to this trend was the
Subaru Legacy The is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru since 1989. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its class for offering all-wheel drive as a standard feature, and Subaru's traditional boxer engine. The Legacy was sol ...
and
Subaru Outback The Subaru Outback is an automotive nameplate used by the Japanese automaker Subaru for two different vehicles: a crossover station wagon, the Outback (1994–present, also sold as in some markets), and an Impreza-derived hatchback, the Outback ...
station wagon models, which continue to be produced at the Subaru of Indiana plant. With other brands, the niche previously occupied by station wagons is now primarily filled with a similar style of
Crossover SUV A crossover, crossover SUV, or crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is a type of automobile with an increased ride height that is built on unibody chassis construction shared with passenger cars, as opposed to traditional sport utility vehicles ( ...
, which generally has a car underpinning and a wagon body. Imported station wagons, despite remaining popular in other countries, struggled in the United States. European luxury car manufacturers such as Audi, Volvo, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz continued to offer station wagons in their North American product ranges (marketed using the labels "Avant", "Touring", and "Estate" respectively). However, these vehicles had fewer trim and power train levels than their sedan counterparts. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG in Estate trim is a performance station wagon offered in the U.S. market. The station wagon variants of the smaller
Mercedes-Benz C-Class The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a series of compact executive cars produced by Mercedes-Benz Group AG. Introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 (W201) range, the C-Class was the smallest model in the marque's line-up until the W168 A-Class ...
line-up were dropped in 2007 and the
BMW 5 Series The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972, succeeding the New Class Sedans, and currently in its seventh generation. The 5 Series was initially available as a sedan, with a wagon/estate body style (market ...
Touring models were discontinued in 2010, due to slow sales in the United States with only 400 wagons sold in 2009. In 2012, the
Volvo V50 The Volvo V50 is the station wagon version of the Volvo S40 small family car first unveiled at the 2003 Bologna Motor Show, both assembled at Ghent, Belgium. Sharing the Ford C1 platform with the European Ford Focus and the Mazda 3, the V50 ...
compact station wagon was withdrawn from the U.S. market due to poor sales. The
Cadillac CTS The Cadillac CTS is an executive car that was manufactured and marketed by General Motors from 2003 until 2019 across three generations. Historically, it was priced similarly to cars on the compact luxury spectrum; but it has always been sized ...
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. The CTS wagon, particularly in the performance CTS-V trim, received positive reviews until it was discontinued in 2014. In 2011, the
Toyota Prius V The Toyota Prius ''v'' (for versatile), also named Prius α (pronounced as Alpha) in Japan, and Prius+ in Europe and Singapore, is a hybrid gasoline-electric automobile produced by Toyota introduced in Japan in May 2011, in the U.S. in October 2 ...
introduced hybrid power to the compact wagon market, but was discontinued in 2017 to streamline the Toyota hybrid lineup and focus on the RAV4 Hybrid Crossover SUV. The 2015 VW Golf ''Sportwagen'' was marketed as a sub-compact station wagon in the North American market. As of 2019, Volkswagen announced the cancellation of the Sportwagen in the US market. In 2016, Volvo reintroduced a large wagon to the US market with the
Volvo V90 The Volvo V90 is a mid-size luxury wagon manufactured and marketed by Swedish automaker Volvo Cars since 2016. Two months after the introduction of the sedan model, the V90 was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. Its sedan varian ...
, but only by special order.


Simulated wood panelling

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. By the late 1950s, the wooden trim was replaced by "simulated wood" in the form of stick-on vinyl coverings. The woodgrain feature is not that the body is wood — or that it could ever be wood - rather, it is "totally honest in its artificiality." The design element was also used on cars that were not station wagons, including sedans, pickup trucks, and convertibles. Unique simulated wood designs included trim on the body pillars of the compact-size
Nash Rambler The Nash Rambler is a North American automobile that was produced by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1950 to 1954 in sedan, wagon, and fixed-profile convertible body styles. On 1 May 1954, Nash-Kelvinator merged ...
station wagons that went up the roof's drip rail and around on the spit liftgate While the larger Cross Country was available with bodyside wood trim that went unbroken up the C and D pillars to a thin strip on the roof above the side windows. The
Ford Country Squire The Ford Country Squire is a series of full-size station wagons that were assembled by American automaker Ford. Positioned as the top-level station wagon of the Ford division, the Country Squire was distinguished by woodgrain bodyside trim. From ...
is a model that was easily recognized by its simulated wood trim 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. 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. The full-size Country Squire model was produced in higher quantities than the other Ford models. Other woodie-style wagon models produced in significant numbers include the 1984-1993 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, 1957-1991
Mercury Colony Park The Mercury Colony Park is an American luxury full-size station wagon that was marketed by the Mercury division of Ford Motor Company between 1957 and 1991. Distinguished by its simulated wood-grain paneling, the Colony Park was marketed as eit ...
, 1968-1988
Chrysler Town & Country The Chrysler Town & Country is a minivan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from 1990 to the 2016 model years. The third of the Chrysler minivans introduced, the 1990 Town & Country shared its nameplate with the flagship Chrysler st ...
, 1970-1990
Buick Estate Buick Estate is a nameplate that was used by the Buick division of General Motors, denoting its luxury full-size station wagon from 1940 to 1964 and from 1970 to 1996. The Estate nameplate was derived from the term country estate in wealthy su ...
, 1971-1992
Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser is an automobile that was manufactured and marketed by Oldsmobile in three generations from 1971 until 1992. The first full-size station wagon produced by Oldsmobile since the 1964 Oldsmobile 88 Fiesta, the Custom ...
and 1969-1972
Chevrolet Kingswood Estate The Chevrolet Kingswood was a 4-door station wagon produced by Chevrolet in 1959 and 1960, and again from 1969 to 1972 built on the GM B Body platform. 1959-1960 The Kingswood was deliberately made to be unique: the headlights were placed as l ...
.


Full-size wagons

From the 1950s until the 1990s, many
full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. ...
American station wagons could be optioned with a third row of seating in the cargo area (over the rear axle) for a total of nine seats. Prior to 1956, the third-row seats were forward-facing. Chrysler's 1957 models had a roof too low to permit a forward-facing seat in the cargo area, so a rear-facing seat was used for the third row. General Motors adopted the rear-facing third row for most models during 1959-1971 and 1977–1996. However, the 1964–1972
Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser The Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser is a station wagon manufactured and marketed by Oldsmobile over three generations from 1964 to 1977. The first and second generation Vista Cruisers are noted for their fixed-glass, roof-mounted skylights over the sec ...
and 1964–1969
Buick Sport Wagon The Buick Sport Wagon was a mid-size station wagon built by Buick and was shared with the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, Pontiac Tempest Safari and Chevrolet Chevelle Greenbrier. Featuring a raised roof and skylights over the cargo and second seat ...
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. General Motors also used forward-facing seats for the third row in the 1971–1976 clam shell wagons. The Ford and Mercury full-size wagons built after 1964 were available with four rows of seats, with the rear two rows in the cargo area and facing each other. The third and fourth rows were designed for two people each (although these seats were quite narrow in later models), giving a total seating capacity of ten people. The trend since the 1980s for smaller station wagon bodies has limited the seating to two rows, resulting in a total capacity of five people, or six people if a bench front seat is used. Since the 1990s, full-size station wagons have been largely replaced by SUVs with three-row seating, such as the Chevrolet Suburban,
Ford Expedition The Ford Expedition is a full-size three-row SUV, manufactured by Ford. Introduced for the 1997 model year as the successor of the Ford Bronco, the Expedition was the first full-size Ford SUV sold with a four-door body. For its entire producti ...
,
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class The Mercedes-Benz GLS, formerly Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, is a full-size luxury SUV produced by Mercedes-Benz since 2006. In each of its generations it is a three-row, seven-passenger vehicle positioned above the GLE (formerly Mercedes-Benz M-Class ...
, and
Dodge Durango The Dodge Durango is a mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by Dodge in three generations starting with the 1998 model year. The first two generations were very similar in that both were based on the Dodge Dakota and Ram Pickup, both ...
.


Two-door wagons

The first two-door station wagon was the 1946
Willys Jeep Station Wagon The Willys Jeep Station Wagon, Jeep Utility Wagon and Jeep Panel Delivery are automobiles produced by Willys and Kaiser Jeep in the United States from 1946 to 1964, with production in Argentina and Brazil continuing until 1970 and 1977 respectivel ...
. Other early two-door station wagons were the 1951
Nash Rambler The Nash Rambler is a North American automobile that was produced by the Nash Motors division of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation from 1950 to 1954 in sedan, wagon, and fixed-profile convertible body styles. On 1 May 1954, Nash-Kelvinator merged ...
and the 1954 Studebaker Conestoga. In 1956, Studebaker introduced three new two-door wagons in Pelham, Parkview, and Pinehurst trims. General Motors began producing two-door station wagons in 1955 with the "Chevrolet Handyman" and the "Pontiac Chieftain". General Motors also introduced the sportier
Chevrolet Nomad Chevrolet Nomad is a nameplate used by Chevrolet in North America from the 1950s to the 1970s, applied largely to station wagons. Three different Nomads were produced as a distinct model line, with Chevrolet subsequently using the name as a trim ...
and
Pontiac Safari The Pontiac Safari is a line of station wagons that was produced by Pontiac from 1955 to 1989. Introduced as the Pontiac counterpart of the two-door Chevrolet Nomad for 1955, the nameplate was adopted across the entire full-size Pontiac station wa ...
to their lineup in 1955. Ford began production of steel-bodied two-door station wagons in 1952 with the
Ford Ranch Wagon The Ford Ranch Wagon is a station wagon which was built by Ford in the United States from 1952 to 1974. The Ranch Wagon was a full-size model, except in 1963 and 1964, when it was part of the intermediate-size Fairlane series, and represented th ...
. In 1956 Ford responded to the Nomad and Safari with its own sporty two-door wagon, The
Ford Parklane The Ford Parklane is a station wagon that was produced by Ford for the 1956 model year. In line with the Chevrolet Nomad, the Parklane was a premium two-door station wagon, combining the body of the two-door Ford Ranch Wagon with trim elements o ...
. The Parklane was a one-year-only model, succeeded by the
Ford Del Rio The Ford Del Rio is a full-size, six-passenger station wagon that was produced by Ford in the United States for model years 1957 and 1958. The model was also marketed under the name Del Rio Ranch Wagon. Description The impetus for the creation ...
in 1957. After the merger of Nash and
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
, the new company,
American Motors American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC) reintroduced the two-door wagon in the "new"
Rambler American The Rambler American is a compact car that was manufactured by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) between 1958 and 1969. The American was the second incarnation of AMC forerunner Nash Motors' compact Rambler that was introduced in 1950 a ...
line in 1958. It was "recycling" with only a few modifications from the original version and targeted buyers looking for "no-frills" economy. 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. The
Chevrolet Vega The Chevrolet Vega is a subcompact automobile that was manufactured and marketed by GM's Chevrolet subdivision from 1970 to 1977. Available in two-door hatchback, notchback, wagon, and sedan delivery body styles, all models were powered by an ...
Kammback, introduced in September 1970, was the first U.S.-made four-seat wagon and the first two-door wagon from GM in six years. It shared its wheelbase and length with Vega coupe versions and was produced in the 1971–1977 model years. American Motors offered a two-door wagon version of the
AMC Pacer The AMC Pacer is a two-door compact car produced in the United States by American Motors Corporation (AMC) from the 1975 through the 1980 model years. The Pacer was also made in Mexico by Vehículos Automotores Mexicanos (VAM) from 1976 until ...
from 1977 to 1980. The last two-door wagon available in America, the
Geo Storm The Geo Storm is a sport compact car manufactured by Isuzu that was sold in the United States by Geo (automobile), Geo from 1990 until 1993. The same vehicles, with minor variations, were sold in Canada in the 1992 and 1993 model years only. ...
, was discontinued in 1993.


United Kingdom


1930s to 1960s

Early station wagon cars were after-market conversions, with the new bodywork using a wooden frame and either steel or wooden panels. These wooden-bodied cars, produced until the 1960s, were amongst the most expensive vehicles at the time. Since the 1930s, the term
shooting-brake Shooting brake (sometimes mis-identified as "shooting break") is a car body style which originated in the 1890s as a horse-drawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game. The first automotive shooting brakes were ...
(originally a term for hunting vehicles) has been an alternative, if now rarely used, the term for station wagons in the UK. Later, station wagons were produced by vehicle manufacturers and included the 1937
Commer Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles from 1905 until 1979. Commer vehicles included car-derived vans, light vans, medium to heavy commercial trucks, and buses. The company also designed and built some of its own ...
(based on the Hillman Minx Magnificent), 1952 Morris Minor Traveller, 1952 Morris Oxford Traveller, 1954
Hillman Husky The Hillman Husky was a line of British passenger vehicles manufactured between 1954 and 1970 by Hillman. Original Hillman Husky ("Mark 1") The first (or "Mark 1") Hillman Husky, introduced in 1954, was a small estate car based on the contempor ...
, 1954 Austin A30 Countryman and 1955
Ford Squire The Ford Squire is a car that was produced by Ford of Britain, Ford UK from 1955 to 1959. It was a two-door, four-seat Station wagon, estate design, related to the Ford_Prefect_(car)#100E (1953–59), Ford Prefect 100E four-door sedan (car), sal ...
. The majority of these models were two-door wagons and several models were built on the chassis of relatively small cars. Manufacturers often chose a specific model name to apply to all their station wagon cars as a marketing exercise — for example Austin used the Countryman name and Morris used the name Travellers. Some station wagons were closely derived from existing commercial van models, such as the Austin A30/35 Countryman and the
Hillman Husky The Hillman Husky was a line of British passenger vehicles manufactured between 1954 and 1970 by Hillman. Original Hillman Husky ("Mark 1") The first (or "Mark 1") Hillman Husky, introduced in 1954, was a small estate car based on the contempor ...
. Others, such as the Morris Travellers, the Austin Cambridge Countryman and the Standard Ten Companion were bespoke. Rover and Austin produced 4×4 canvas-topped utility vehicles in the 1950s that were available in station wagon body styles that were sold as "Station Wagons". They incorporated better seating and trim than standard editions with options such as heaters. Early advertising for the Land Rover version took the name literally, showing the vehicle collecting people and goods from a
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
. Despite the popularity of station wagons in America, station wagon offerings in the U.K. from Ford and Vauxhall were limited to factory-approved aftermarket conversions of the
Ford Consul The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975. Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-cy ...
and
Vauxhall Cresta The Vauxhall Cresta is a British full-size car which was produced by Vauxhall from 1954 to 1972. The Cresta was introduced in 1954 as an upmarket version of the Vauxhall Velox, itself a six-cylinder version of the Vauxhall Wyvern. The Cresta m ...
, until the factory-built
Vauxhall Victor The Vauxhall Victor is a large family car produced by Vauxhall from 1957 until 1976. The Victor was introduced to replace the outgoing Wyvern model. It was renamed Vauxhall VX Series in 1976 and continued in production until 1978, by which time ...
wagon was introduced in 1958.


1960s to present

One of the smallest station wagons ever produced was the Morris Mini Traveller / Austin Mini Countryman, introduced in 1960. Ford's first factory-built wagon was the 1963
Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in fiv ...
. The 1967
Hillman Husky The Hillman Husky was a line of British passenger vehicles manufactured between 1954 and 1970 by Hillman. Original Hillman Husky ("Mark 1") The first (or "Mark 1") Hillman Husky, introduced in 1954, was a small estate car based on the contempor ...
station wagon version of the Hillman Imp was unusual in being a rear-engined station wagon. 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 FD- and FE-Series Vauxhall Victors, built between 1966 and 1978, were very large cars by British standards and featured station wagon models in the style of an American station wagon with front and rear bench seats and large-capacity petrol engines. Other station wagons sold in the United Kingdom included the
Morris 1100 Year 1100 ( MC) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 1100th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 100th year of the 2nd millennium, the 100th and ...
(introduced in 1966),
Vauxhall Viva The Vauxhall Viva is a small family car that was produced by Vauxhall in a succession of three versions between 1963 and 1979. These were designated as the HA, HB and HC series. The Viva was introduced a year after Vauxhall's fellow GM compa ...
(introduced 1967), Ford Escort (introduced in 1968), and
Vauxhall Chevette The Vauxhall Chevette is a supermini car that was manufactured by Vauxhall in the United Kingdom from 1975 to 1984. It was Vauxhall's version of the " T-Car" small-car family from Vauxhall's parent General Motors (GM), and based primarily on the ...
(introduced 1976).


Germany

Germany is the largest market for station wagons in the world, with around 600–700,000 vehicles sold each year - amounting to 20% of all car sales. German-designed station wagons have been produced by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Volkswagen. Some larger station wagon models are available with a third row of seats, such as the rear-facing jump seat for two passengers in the cargo area of the
Mercedes-Benz E-Class The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive cars manufactured by German automaker Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. Produced since 1953, the E-Class falls midrange in the Mercedes line-up, and has been marketed worldwi ...
wagon. In 1961, Volkswagen introduced the two-door "Variant" body style of the
Volkswagen Type 3 The Volkswagen Type 3 is a compact car manufactured and marketed by Volkswagen from 1961-1973. Introduced at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA)'', the Type 3 was marketed as the Volkswagen 1500 and later ...
(also known as the Volkswagen 1500 - later the Volkswagen 1600). 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. The model was offered through the 1973 model year. Station wagons produced in East Germany include the 1956–1965 Wartburg 311/312/313, the 1963–1990
Trabant 601 The Trabant 601 (or Trabant P601 series) was a Trabant model produced by VEB Sachsenring in Zwickau, Saxony. It was the third generation of the model, built for the longest production time, from 1964 to 1990. As a result, it is the best-known Tra ...
Universal, and the 1966–1988
Wartburg 353 The Wartburg 353, known in some export markets as the Wartburg Knight, is a medium-sized family car, produced by the East German car manufacturer AWE for their Wartburg brand. It was the successor of the Wartburg 311, and was itself succeeded ...
Tourist.


France

In
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, almost all station wagon models are called a "
Break Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning res ...
", although the spelling is different from the English shooting brake. The first station wagon produced by a French manufacturer was the Citroën Traction Avant Familiale model introduced in 1935. The first Peugeot station wagon was the
Peugeot 203 The Peugeot 203 is a small family car which was produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1948 and 1960. The car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, but by then had already been under development for more than five years. ...
, introduced in 1950. In 1958, the Citroën ID Break (known as the Safari in English-speaking countries) was introduced, being larger than other French station wagon models and of similar size to the contemporary full-size station wagons from the United States. 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. 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. The Citroën ID also had a two-part tailgate and a
hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic suspension is a type of motor vehicle suspension system, designed by Paul Magès, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being used under licence by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce ( Silver Sha ...
that allowed a self-leveling ride height and automatic brake biasing regardless of the load carried. The car could also 'kneel' to the ground for easy loading of heavy or large items. The successors to the ID, the Citroën CX and
Citroën XM The Citroën XM is a front-engine, front-drive, five-passenger, five-door hatchback noted for its hydropneumatic suspension. Manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1989 to 2000, with a minor facelift in 1994, XM production reached 333,405 ov ...
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
Citroën C6 The Citroën C6 is an executive car produced by the French car maker Citroën since 2005. The Citroën C6 was inspired by the Citroën C6 Lignage concept car with a fastback saloon like styling. Inspired by the Citroën C6 Lignage prototype, ...
successor. The
Peugeot 404 The Peugeot 404 is a large family car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975. A truck body style variant was marketed until 1988. Styled by Pininfarina, the 404 was offered initially as a saloon, estate, and pickup ...
, introduced in 1960, offered a conventional large station wagon alternative to the innovative Citroëns. Its replacement, the
505 Year 505 ( DV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodorus and Sabinianus (or, less frequently, year 1258 '' Ab urb ...
was available in both five-seat and seven-seat 'Familiale' versions. As with the Citroëns, 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 The Peugeot 406 is a large family car that was produced by French automaker Peugeot between 1995 and 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in P ...
becoming the largest station wagon model in the range from 1995. 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 The Renault Espace is a five-door car manufactured by the French carmaker Renault since 1984 for five generations. It is classified as a large MPV/ minivan within the M-segment. The first three generations of the Espace were amongst the first c ...
in 1984.


Sweden

The first station wagon produced in Sweden was the
Volvo Duett The Duett is an automobile from Volvo that was in production from 1953 until 1969. The name ''Duett'' was intended to signify a car that could be used as a delivery vehicle during the week and as a comfortable sedan away from work. The Duett was ...
, introduced in 1953. The Duett two-door wagon was conceived as a dual-function delivery van and people-carrier and is based on the chassis of the PV444 and PV544 sedans. In 1962, the Volvo Duett was supplemented by a larger but lower
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
, which has a four-door body and a horizontal split tailgate. Volvo continued production of station wagons through the Volvo 145 (introduced in 1967), then the
Volvo 200 Series The Volvo 200 Series (or 240 and 260 Series) is a range of mid-size cars produced by Swedish company Volvo Cars from 1974 until 1993, with more than 2.8 million total units sold worldwide. Like the Volvo 140 Series (1966 to 1974), from which it ...
(introduced in 1974), and the
Volvo 700 Series The Volvo 700 series is a range of executive cars produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1982 to 1992. The 700 series was introduced in 1982 with the luxurious 760, followed two years later by the lower priced 740 which capitaliz ...
(introduced in 1985). In many markets, the station wagon models of the 700 Series significantly outsold the sedan models. In 1990, the 700 Series was replaced by the
Volvo 900 Series The Volvo 900 Series is a range of executive cars produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1990 to 1998. The 900 Series was introduced in 1990 to replace the 700 Series from which it derived. Prior to the end of its production, the ...
, which was sold alongside the smaller
Volvo 850 The Volvo 850 is a compact executive car that was produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1991 until 1996. Designed by Jan Wilsgaard, the car was introduced in a saloon body style; an estate style was introduced in 1993. The Volv ...
wagon that was introduced one year later. The 900 Series ended production in 1998 and its successor (the
Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is an executive car produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1998 to 2016 across two generations. It took the place of the rear-wheel-drive S90 as Volvo's flagship sedan. The first generation (1998–2006) was made a ...
) did not include any wagon models. Volvo station wagons produced since the mid-1990s are the Volvo V40,
Volvo V50 The Volvo V50 is the station wagon version of the Volvo S40 small family car first unveiled at the 2003 Bologna Motor Show, both assembled at Ghent, Belgium. Sharing the Ford C1 platform with the European Ford Focus and the Mazda 3, the V50 ...
,
Volvo V60 The Volvo V60 is a compact wagon produced by Volvo Cars related to the S60. The vehicle was first released in autumn 2010, facelifted in 2014, and is in its second generation since 2018. The second generation V60 was launched in 2018 based on t ...
,
Volvo V70 The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...
, and
Volvo V90 The Volvo V90 is a mid-size luxury wagon manufactured and marketed by Swedish automaker Volvo Cars since 2016. Two months after the introduction of the sedan model, the V90 was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2016. Its sedan varian ...
, with the V40, V60, and V90 models currently in production. Saab began producing station wagons in 1959, in the form of the
Saab 95 The Saab 95 is a seven-seater, two-door station wagon which was produced by Saab from 1959 to 1978. Initially it was based on the Saab 93 sedan, but the model's development throughout the years followed closely that of the Saab 96 after the 93 ...
two-door wagon, which was based on the Saab 93 sedan. Following a hiatus in station wagon production since the Saab 95 ended production in 1978, the company introduced the four-door
Saab 9-5 The Saab 9-5 is an executive car that was produced by the Swedish automobile maker Saab from 1997 to 2012. The first generation 9-5 was introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year, as the replacement to the Saab 9000. At the time, the car repr ...
station wagon in 1997, which was produced until 2010. In 2005 a 'Sportwagon' version of the
Saab 9-3 The Saab 9-3 (pronounced ''nine-three'') is a compact executive car initially developed and manufactured by the Swedish automaker Saab. The first generation 9-3 (1998-2003) is based on the GM2900 platform, changing to the GM Epsilon platfor ...
was introduced and produced until 2011. In 2017 station wagons accounted for 31% of all sold cars.


Switzerland

In 1983, station wagons represented 15% of the passenger car market, reflecting a trend throughout Europe of increasing popularity through the 1980s, with the vehicles becoming less cargo-oriented.


Japan

The first Japanese station wagon was the 1969
Isuzu Bellel The Isuzu Bellel is a compact car produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Isuzu from 1961 to 1966. It was the company's first independent design, and also Japan's first passenger car with a diesel engine. It was available as a four-door ...
four-door wagon, based on a compact sedan chassis. This was followed by the 1963
Mazda Familia The , also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004. It was marketed as the '' ...
, 1966 Toyota Corolla, 1967
Isuzu Florian The Isuzu Florian is an intermediate class car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from November 1967 to 1983. The Florian's body remained essentially the same through its unusually long life cycle, being afforded only two moderate facelif ...
, 1969 Mitsubishi Galant, 1973
Mitsubishi Lancer The Mitsubishi Lancer is an automobile produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors since 1973. The Lancer has been marketed as the Colt Lancer, Dodge Colt, Plymouth Colt, Chrysler Valiant Lancer, Chrysler Lancer, Eagle Summit, Hin ...
and 1974 Honda Civic wagons. However, Japanese manufacturers did not build station wagons in large volumes until recently. Models marketed as passenger station wagons in export markets were often sold as utilitarian "van" models in the home market. Some were not updated for consecutive generations in a model's life in Japan. 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 The Mazda Capella, also known as the 626 in North America and Southeast Asia, is a mid-size car that was manufactured by Mazda from 1970 until 2002. Sold in the Japanese domestic market under the Capella name, the vehicle was also commonly known ...
wagon). Station wagons remain popular in Japan, although they are in slow decline as the SUVs and
minivan Minivan (sometimes called simply as van) is a North American car classification for vehicles designed to transport passengers in the rear seating row(s), with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. The equivalent classification in Europe is ...
s have taken over a large portion of this market.


Korea

South Korean manufacturers do not have a strong tradition in producing station wagons. The first station wagon by the South Korean manufacturer was released way back in 1995 as the Hyundai Avante Touring (Lantra Sportswagon), followed in early 1996 as the
Kia Pride The Kia Pride is a subcompact car sold by the South Korean automobile manufacturer Kia Motors between March 1987 and January 2000, and again since September 2011. Between April 2005 and September 2011 the Kia New Pride had been sold. Original mode ...
station wagon. Daewoo Motor followed suit a year later with the first-generation Nubira. South Korean manufacturer
Kia Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
produce both the
Cee'd The Kia Ceed (known as the Kia cee'd before 2018) is a compact car produced by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 2006 exclusively for the European market. The Ceed was first unveiled on 28 September 2006 at the Paris Motor Show. In mid-2007, ...
and
Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic s ...
station wagons designated as Sportswagons with sister company
Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate ("chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai ...
offering station wagon versions of the i30 and i40.


Australia

The first Australian-designed car was built in 1948 but locally designed station wagons did not appear until nine years later when the 1957
Holden FE The Holden FE is an automobile produced by Holden in Australia from 1956 until 1958. It was also the first Holden to be assembled in New Zealand, where General Motors New Zealand built their first example on 31 January 1957. Overview The FE mo ...
was introduced. Holden's main competitor, the Ford Falcon (XK) introduced wagon models in 1960. Ford and Holden produced wagon models based on each generation of their large sedan platforms until 2010. Other wagons produced in Australia include the smaller
Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Camry ...
and
Mitsubishi Magna The Mitsubishi Magna is a mid-size car that was produced over three generations between 1985 and 2005 by Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL). Developed as a replacement for the Mitsubishi Sigma, each Magna generation derived from Japane ...
. The Ford and Holden wagons were usually built on a longer
wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
than their sedan counterparts, until the introduction of the
Holden Commodore (VE) The Holden Commodore (VE) is an executive car that was produced by Holden from 2006 to 2013. It was the first iteration of the fourth generation of the Commodore. Its range included the luxury variants, Holden Berlina (VE) and Holden Calais (VE ...
which switched to sharing the sedan's shorter wheelbase. Ford ceased production of wagons in Australia when the
Ford Falcon (BF) The Ford Falcon (BF) is a full-size car that was produced by Ford Australia from 2005 to 2008. It was the third and final iteration of the sixth generation of the Falcon. The station wagon body design continued until 2010, alongside the new se ...
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. Production of wagons in Australia ceased in 2017 when the
Holden Commodore (VF) The Holden Commodore (VF) is an executive car that was produced by Holden between June 2013 and October 2017. It was the second and last significantly restyled iteration of the fourth (and final) generation of the Holden Commodore to be manu ...
ended production.


See also

*
Hearse A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately a ...
*
Panel van A panel van, also known as a blind van, car-derived van (United Kingdom) or sedan delivery (United States), is a small cargo vehicle with a passenger car chassis, typically with a single front bench seat and no side windows behind the B-pillar. ...
*
Shooting-brake Shooting brake (sometimes mis-identified as "shooting break") is a car body style which originated in the 1890s as a horse-drawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game. The first automotive shooting brakes were ...
*
Sedan (automobile) A sedan or saloon (British English) is a automobile, passenger car in a three-box styling, three-box configuration with separate compartments for an engine, passengers, and cargo. The first recorded use of the word "sedan" in reference to an ...
* Coupé


References

{{Authority control Car body styles