ROME – Many have repeatedly taken the end of the station wagon for granted and imminent. And not without reason, because, as happened with minivans, what undermined the happy life of station wagons was the exploit in the SUV and crossover market which cannibalized sales in almost all segments, especially stealing customers from traditional models of full-space cars. However, things have gone, at least for now, differently than expected. Despite being reduced to a niche, family members in long dresses can in fact now count on a hard core in the market which currently has a 3.9% share in Italy and which in the first 8 months of the year recorded an increase in registrations of 39.8% with 37,876 units.
Given the predisposition of wagons to accommodate large batteries in the floor, with electrification the interest of many manufacturers in having one or more cars in the category mainly aimed at making numbers in fleets as company cars, but also among the general public. This is demonstrated by the many models destined to accompany what can in all respects be considered the first plug-in wagon launched in Europe, namely the MG5 EV available from 2020.
La MG5 EV station wagon
Starting from the top levels of the market, Porsche offers for example the Cross and Sport Turismo versions of the Taycan, on sale with a price list ranging from 100,430 to 207,590 euros. They combine the shooting brake bodywork with a track soul with a powertrain of up to 460 kW (625 HP) and 250 km/h and boast a range of approximately 480 km. Going down a bit in level and price, Volkswagen is instead about to offer the SW variant of the ID.7 which will travel 700 km without stopping, powered like the sedan of the same name by an engine with a power of 210 kW (285 HP).
From specialists in the sector, such as Skoda, BMW and Audi, the all-electric version of the Octavia SW is arriving, which offers a zero-emission version of one of the most popular models in the category in our country, the i5 Touring, of which the super-powered M60 xDrive edition is also planned with two 442 kW (601 HP) engines, and the A6 Avant e-tron: based on the new PPE platform of the Ingolstadt manufacturer developed together with Porsche.
La Nio ET5 Touring
Finally, on the launch pad there are also the Peugeot E-308 SW, with 115 kW (156 HP) and 400 km of mileage, and its Opel Astra Sport Tourer platform sister.
The Skoda Octavia SW will soon be available in an electric version
While from China, the homeland of the MG5 EV, the Nio ET5 Touring, which promises up to 1,000 km of autonomy, and the family variant of the BYD Han are about to land in the Old Continent. In short, with electric, the immortal wagons are preparing to experience a second youth.