Editing Station wagon (section)

==== 1990 to present: Competition from SUVs ====
[[File:Buick Roadmaster Limited Wagon.jpg|thumb|1996 [[Buick Estate#1991–1996|Buick Roadmaster Estate Limited station wagon]]]]

The emergence and popularity of [[sport utility vehicle|SUV]]s, which closely approximate the traditional station wagon body style, was a blow. After low sales, the [[Chevrolet Caprice]] and the [[Buick Roadmaster]], 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 car|compact]] station wagons also began to be phased out in the United States. The [[Ford Taurus]] wagon was discontinued in 2005, and the [[Ford Focus]] station wagon was discontinued in 2008. An exception to this trend was the [[Subaru Legacy]] and [[Subaru Outback]] station wagon models, which continue to be produced at the [[Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.|Subaru of Indiana plant]]. With other brands, the niche previously occupied by station wagons is now primarily filled with a similar style of [[Crossover (automobile)|Crossover SUV]], which generally has a car underpinning and a wagon body.

Imported station wagons, despite remaining popular in other countries,<ref>{{cite web|url= http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1736/the-death-of-the-station-wagon/ |title=The death of the station wagon |first=Alex |last=Taylor III |website=autos.yahoo.com |access-date=7 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110929150833/http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1736/the-death-of-the-station-wagon/ |archive-date=29 September 2011}}</ref> struggled in the United States. European 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.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> 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]] line-up were dropped in 2007, and the [[BMW 5 Series]] Touring models were discontinued in 2010 due to slow sales in the United States, with only 400 wagons sold in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=152306 |title=BMW Might Kill 5 Series Wagon in Favor of GT Crossover |website=edmunds.com |date=2009-07-08 |access-date=2009-09-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090830073626/http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=152306 |archive-date=30 August 2009}}</ref> In 2012, the [[Volvo V50]] compact station wagon was withdrawn from the U.S. market due to poor sales.

The [[Cadillac CTS]] 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.<ref name="nytimes.com"/> The CTS wagon, particularly in the performance CTS-V trim, received positive reviews until it was discontinued in 2014.<ref>{{cite web |title=2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon 3.6 |url= https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-cadillac-cts-sport-wagon-36-road-test-review |website=caranddriver.com |date= 17 August 2009 |access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2014 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon First Test |url= https://www.motortrend.com/cars/cadillac/cts/2014/2014-cadillac-cts-v-wagon-first-test/ |website=motortrend.com |date= 22 December 2014 |access-date=12 November 2018}}</ref>

In 2011, the [[Toyota Prius V]] 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Toyota's own hybrid models are eating away at Prius sales |url= https://www.autoblog.com/2020/01/03/toyota-hybrids-beat-prius/ |access-date=2020-07-09 |website=autoblog.com}}</ref>

The 2015 [[Volkswagen Golf Mk7#Golf Variant / Estate / SportWagen / Sportwagon|VW Golf ''Sportwagen'']]<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.vw.com/models/golf-sportwagen/?cid=ssem_MHm7hLRR_66236130786_c |title=VW Golf Sportwagen |website=vw.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150614160929/http://www.vw.com/models/golf-sportwagen/?cid=ssem_MHm7hLRR_66236130786_c |archive-date=14 June 2015 |access-date=19 January 2023}}</ref> was marketed as a sub-compact station wagon in the North American market. This model was withdrawn from the U.S. market after 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28421961/volkswagen-golf-sportwagen-alltrack-discontinued/ |title=Volkswagen Is Ending Golf Sportwagen Alltrack Production |first=Daniel |last=Golson |date=17 July 2019 |website=caranddriver.com |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>

In 2016, Volvo reintroduced a large wagon to the U.S. market with the [[Volvo V90]], but only by special order.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15344480/you-can-buy-the-2018-volvo-v90-wagon-in-america-but-only-if-you-custom-order-it/ |title=2018 Volvo V90 Wagon Will Be Custom Order Only in America |first=Joey |last=Capparella |date=6 January 2017 |website=caranddriver.com |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>