CEO Håkan Samuelsson thinks the wagon’s second coming in the US is near.Rear view of a silver Volvo V70 with illuminated taillight and European license plate.Wagon fans in America assemble! The low-slung long roof could be on the brink of making a big comeback.At least, according to CEO Håkan Samuelsson, who runs the biggest purveyor of contemporary wagons, Volvo. Speaking with our pals at Motor1, Samuelsson expressed his belief that wagons could be on the path of being great again.AdvertisementAdvertisementEspecially since he’s noticing a trend where American buyers seem to be getting bored of crossover SUVS and are slowly moving away from them.Could it be the wagon’s time to shine again?The Volvo V70 is arguably one of the brand’s most iconic models and a legend in the world of wagons. - Credit: Volvo CarsIf you’ve been feeling a bit over crossover SUVs and hoping for something different in the pipeline, Volvo’s CEO feels the same way. And he just might have the Swedish automaker come to the rescue.Wagons have long ago fallen out of favor to trucks and crossover SUVs, particularly in America. It’s a phenomenon that took over in the 1990s and all throughout the 2000s as high riders exploded relentlessly in popularity.But despite their unforgiving proliferation, some automakers still showed signs that wagons are still desired in the US. Volvo is one of them, along with Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, and more recently, BMW.BMW’s official introduction of the M5 Touring to the US proved that wagons are still in demand in America. - Credit: Chris ChinAs of late, however, Volvo slowly phased out some of its iconic long roofs, simply due to their age and need for replacement. That had some wagon fans concerned about the automaker losing its identity as one of the biggest purveyors of the body style.AdvertisementAdvertisementThough, fret no more. As there could be a light at the end of the tunnel for wagon lovers.Samuelsson does not see Volvo’s future without the wagonThe Volvo recently ended production of the V60. - Credit: Volvo CarsAccording to Samuelsson, he envisions a Volvo lineup in the near future that will include wagons. Not just SUVs.Moreover, he also thinks America has become too SUV-saturated and consumers might be feeling the same sentiments.“Probably the US consumers know better, but I think we believe that the market may have gone a bit too far into a single SUV market. I don’t think 10 years from now, we will only have SUVs from Volvo,” Samuelsson said, during his interview.Volvo Cars CEO, CEO Håkan Samuelsson, thinks the wagon might have a brighter future in the near term. - Credit: Volvo CarsBut product diversity isn’t just the reason to revisit wagons. They also offer plenty of other tangible benefits. For instance, wagons are just physically more efficient, better driving, and generally cheaper.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat’s because they weigh less, produce less aerodynamic drag from being lower the ground and are also easier to make.“So I think for various reasons, we need the lower cars,” he continued. “So air resistance is one, because we talked about range, and, of course, if you have a lower front area, it’s easier. Everything is easier.”How could you say no when wagons could look this good? - Credit: Volvo CarsThough, Samuelsson didn’t go into further detail. Volvo recently discontinued its last wagon, the V60, as it reached the end of its production lifecycle. Although a successor hasn’t been announced, his belief in the wagon’s future viability offers a glimmer of hope for those who still want on in their garage.“I think it’s not revealing too much that I think we will not only have SUVs 5 years from now,” Samuelsson concluded.AdvertisementAdvertisementAbout the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).Want to stay up to date on the latest product news and releases? Add Gear Patrol as a preferred source to ensure our independent journalism makes it to the top of your Google search results.add as a preferred source on google
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