There’s no denying that SUVs and crossovers have taken over the auto industry. What was once a niche bodystyle at the corner of company lineups has become a mainstay with several subsegments, dominating showrooms to the point where it’d be weird if a manufacturer didn’t have five dozen distinct crossovers to choose from.
The explosive popularity of crossovers has meant sales of other bodystyles, like station wagons, sedans, and hatchbacks, have suffered. In America, the sales of sedans are a shadow of what they used to be, and while there are still some hatchbacks available here, they make up an incredibly small portion of sales. Wagons, meanwhile, have essentially disappeared from American roads, aside from a couple of low-production German performance longroofs.
Still, giant conglomerates like Hyundai haven’t given up on wagons. The proof lies in a new concept from the company’s luxury sub-brand, Genesis, which recently unveiled a one-off wagon based on its biggest sedan, called the G90 Wingback. The company’s chief creative officer, Luc Donckerwolke, believes SUVs have saturated the market so severely that people will eventually want something else. But I’m not so sure.
Donckerwolke Makes A Point
Genesis first revealed the Wingback concept last month during the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations, where it also unveiled a supercar concept it plans to put into production. Today, the company released more photos of the car, showing off its absolutely stunning design. In the release was a quote from Donckerwolke that extended beyond the typical corporate-speak design execs are famous for:
“At the moment there is, let’s say, a multiplication of SUVs. And this fast growth will create a saturation,” said Donckerwolke. He continued, “This is when other typologies of cars are going to become attractive again. This is why I strongly believe in not having a typology monoculture.”
Firstly, I’d argue the saturation is already here, and has been for some time. For the past two years, a crossover was the best-selling vehicle on the planet, with the Tesla Model Y taking the title in 2023 before having its crown snatched by the Toyota RAV4 in 2024. In America, the top three best-selling vehicles that weren’t trucks—the RAV4, the Model Y, and the Honda CR-V—were crossovers.
It goes beyond just the numbers. Take a look at Toyota’s lineup right now. There are no fewer than nine different crossovers and SUVs available from the brand, versus just two coupes, two hatchbacks, and four sedans (five if you count the hydrogen-powered Mirai, but I don’t). It’s the same story for luxury automakers, too. BMW sells nine different crossovers, compared to six sedans and a small handful of coupes. Manufacturers have become SUV-makers first, carmakers second.
On its surface, Donckerwolke’s thinking makes some sense. Owning an SUV in the Year of our Lord, 2025, is the equivalent of owning an iPhone or liking cheeseburgers. People naturally want to be different and stand out, so when they see 27 different kinds of the same body style in their Walmart’s parking lot, they might think twice before buying a crossover over the sleeker wagon or hatchback sitting in the corner of the dealership.
I’m Still Hesitant To Agree
On appearance alone, I can agree with Donckerwolke’s argument. Except, it’s more than just looks that sell SUVs. People buy them because, as prices continue to rise, they simply want one car that can do everything they might conceive as necessary.
SUVs tower over sedans thanks to their higher ride height, giving drivers a more commanding view of the road. SUVs usually offer more space for legroom, headroom, and cargo. Some even provide more seats. And thanks to advances in drivetrain efficiency, they can deliver these advantages with little to no penalty in fuel economy. SUVs can often be optioned with all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, assuring buyers they’ll have something to assist them in case they’re faced with rough terrain or slippery conditions (even though it’s seldom necessary). SUVs are perceived as safer thanks to their more substantial size and weight.
Most importantly, SUVs are not any more expensive than their sedan counterparts. That trope disappeared years ago. The cheapest vehicle Hyundai sells isn’t a tiny hatch or sedan—it’s the Venue, a crossover. The scaling of production has meant prices can undercut less practical, smaller cars, giving buyers no reason not to choose the crossover.
To Donckerwolke’s point, some buyers are willing to make that trade-off and buy the less practical car if it means owning something more interesting. I think that’s why we’re seeing cars like the BMW M5 Touring have some success, even though it weighs about the same as an X5 M. It’s probably why Genesis chose the G90 to turn into a wagon concept at all—it’s only the upper end of the market where wagons are viable right now. But even then, we’re talking about incredibly small percentages of overall sales.
It’s important to remember that Genesis already makes a wagon version of its entry-level G70 sedan. But it doesn’t sell the car in America because the company must think, probably accurately, that absolutely no one would buy it. And I don’t expect that to change any time soon. If the G90 Wingback were to make production, I’m sure it’d be met with endless praise from the industry and even a handful of enthusiastic buyers. But the idea that buyers, on average, might begin to defect from SUVs simply because SUVs are everywhere doesn’t take the whole picture into account.
Top graphic image: Genesis
Sign me up! [I have owned three wagons and am trying to keep my current wagon healthy for as long as possible.]
As someone with lengthy legs – SUVs almost never offer more actual legroom. They use an “upright driving position” to fudge the numbers, to the point where I almost never have somewhere for my knees to go. Hyundai and Kia are generally the best at packaging, Toyota is far and away the worst, but in general I’ve gone from being able to fit in most cars to having a real struggle in a lot of SUVs.
I’m always going to rage against the “SUVs usually have more space” lie just because I’m personally affected by it, but seriously a combination of bad packaging and the ability to fudge numbers with useless vertical space has meant cars with less room than ever before.
WOW!!!!
One caveat: Average age of new car buyer, which is now 53.
(No offence if you’re 53 or older) but Old people need a high h-point otherwise the vehicle is DOA. It’s just ergonomics.
God speed on the wagon revolution.
A compact wagon is the only body type I really want, so I have zero new-car options (actually, I’d also consider a rancheroid-type vehicle, but that’s even less likely). I’m never going to buy a high-riding SUV. I can’t be the only one.
I own two Audi Allroads, so I am all in on a wagon…..but I see what the mfrs have done over the years with SUVs – better suspensions, good sightlines, higher seating so getting in and out is easier, better fuel mileage and so on – it does kinda make wagons redundant. But I find most of the designs overwrought, too big and heavy and just not attractive.
I think the Maverick trucklettte is pointing in the right direction for maximum usability, I just wish it came in a 2 door for those of us who don’t need the back seat. I would own one if that were the case.
The sightlines are only better because everything else on the road is high. For those who prefer sitting on the ground, everything else is a negative, too. Fuel economy is still going to be better in a lower, lighter car, and they’ll nearly always handle better because of the lower CoG. Loading things onto the roof of a lower car is easier as well.
Also, wagons are typically longer and have more useful cargo capacity. Our Outback can swallow a ton of stuff without blocking the view out the rear window…try that in a CUV.
I don’t think you’re in the right place to be attempting to convince us that an SUV’s a better everyday vehicle than a wagon.
I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything – I HAVE TWO AUDI WAGONS as I wrote above – we’ve had 6 wagons over the years…..and we prefer them to any SUV thing, I only said that I see what they’ve done with SUVs over the years. Sheesh.
Isn’t the Toyota Crown Signia a wagon? That’s one reason that I bought one. But, if it is, don’t tell my wife. I let her think it’s an SUV.
I wouldn’t call that one a wagon since it’s based on the sedan that’s explicitly marketed as having an “SUV-like stance.” Converting that chassis into a longroof body just makes it…an SUV.
Literally the only Hyundai group product I would spend more than a dime on. It is a stunner.
You didn’t like the Stinger? I’d get one. But it’s way down on my priority list.
I’d LOVE to see wagons make a comeback, but as just normal cars. This goes along with Mercedes’ convertible article. Not a top of the line money pit. Dreaming, I know. I was a wagon guy, long ago. Before I was converted to the joys of the minivan when our third kid came along. A couple of Escorts, a Tracer, a pair of Tauri. Had a Reliant/Aries pairing for a while (I don’t have JUST Fords!). Most of them with manuals (but none were brown). I’m considering importing a Mondeo wagon for my “retirement ride” (like I’ll ever be able to do that!).
I agree – I remember in the 70’s you could buy all sorts of small wagons, Toyota, Datsun, pretty much all the small car mfrs had them, even VW and Audi (Fox came in a wagon) as well as Fiat – the 128 and the 131 came in a wagon – and they were inexpensive and very useful as they were basically a box on wheels. I loved them all….
I am ALL IN for wagons instead of SUVs.
The issue is that in this arms race for the tallest seating position, opting for a wagon is quite literally signing up for never being able to turn right.
I drive a low car on a daily basis, and I’ve lost count of the number of times my sight line to the left has been blocked by a gray Canyonero 3′ past the stop line just to my left.
I can’t see overhead highway signs past these behemoths, and it’s extra fun finding parking when the lots are clogged with the automotive equivalent of a hippo in every other spot. Most often driven by a singular 5-foot-nothing millenial mom with a 2 gallon Stanley mug in tow.
So while I would be first in line for a wagon, I don’t think there is a foothold here for one. We’ve kind of gone to the point-of-no-return on vehicular size here; folks have to stay up high in a huge SUV to drive and see safely. To be honest, driving a car is a liability in the US.
It’s the same rallying cry of wanting traffic enforcement for non-speed related infractions. I have such a hard time turning right in some places, and then some of these get lifted higher than they should legally be able to but there’s no enforcement about it.
Am I the only one who DOESN’T think it’s a good looking car? I initially thought the front fenders were a rendering screwup, and now that I know it’s a real thing I think it looks like a bodywork screw up. The rear end is also a mess with just too much going on. The… middle spoiler doesn’t work at all. Like, literally, doesn’t do anything. Looks awful too. Just stop. It’s noise. It seems like that plus the tail lights and body line there are trying to make the back end look super wide in the same way bad photoshops make women’s posteriors look wholly unnatural. It doesn’t work, just looks wrong. The whole thing is a mess.
My comment history can attest that I’m very frequently in the contrarian camp, so I empathize, but respectfully disagree.
I’m not a designer or even have a designer’s eye, so I’m for good or for ill I’m going with what I see.
I seek a sleek car with consistent lines that run all along the plane upon which they are laid. I see unfussy bodywork, something I prefer in the first place and even more so after years of a seemingly industry-wide, maximalist, “everything everywhere all at once” philosophy that has creased and distorted any surface. There’s no plastic cladding, no token nod to off road capability, no particular emotion intrinsically sculpted into the car’s face (per the Torchinsky description). It looks sleek, long, low, serious, without being angry or brutal or other things that are so tiresome in modern design.
I will offer that I wish the grille wasn’t so wide (or maybe broke a line, like that deep dip in the center?) – I think it could get a better look and effect cleaning up the front a little bit. But it’s certainly not a dealbreaker to me.
I think a lot of the excitement, besides the frothy Autopian “hot wagon hot wagon” take so many of us are feeling, is that it’s unfussed at a time when every design is as many designs as it can be at once.
To me it is like much of the Hyundai lineup. Overall I like it but the details kill. The front fender gap is ridiculous, I will never be on board with the huge mouth trend, and not sure about the spoiler below the back window. 90% killer, 10% bad.
Dunno. I like the extra suspension travel on an SUV. The very high room in the rear is great for moving large stuff around when you want/need/have to. The seating position is great for driving longer stints and if I really need to drive on a track I will take the 2 seater which weighs hundreds of pounds less and can run on cheap track oriented tires, while the SUV runs good quality road tires – which I don’t want to burn in a day on a track. A 600 hp wagon makes no sense. It is still too large and heavy on a track and too small to really move big stuff around or go on a lot of unpaved roads. Unless you like to change tires every month.
I think more wagons would sell if there were less pricy models with good performance, especially to dads. The problem is that the good ones are too expensive, especially for people that are just starting families. CUVs are the new minivans and many men dread them like we used to dread minivans. Market us a sporty alternative to a CUV at a price that we can justify to “The Boss”(not being negative towards wives). They could even create ads with cool looking guys racing after kid dropoff or bragging about their wagon’s performance in the parking lot, at an event, or on the golf course. Just make them perform at a reasonable price!
I want a hybrid station wagon. It doesn’t have to be sporty. My wife will think it’s ugly. But a longroof Camry or Sonata hybrid? Practical kid-and-stuff hauler that I’d definitely buy, and my wife has her car so she might let me buy it.
In the US, the problem with this is twofold: One, infrastructure sucks. Roads are rough and getting rougher, investment is slow, and any attempt to improve things will likely see the funds soaked up by cronyism and corruption.
Two, the size arms race. Trying to see past the hood of someone’s personal monster truck to spot cross traffic sucks. When you have a lower car you lose a lot of situational awareness to not just other traffic, but parked cars. Size also feels safer; not only is it more visible, but people want sheer vehicular mass to soak damage from wayward Ferd Fteenthosuands.
+1 for the Ferd Fteenthousand. I had to go watch that video again.
It’s certainly a beautiful car.
I personally believe the success of crossovers is not just due to the higher sightline, but also the ease of egress from something that is not particularly low to the ground.
The people who can afford a new car, are, in general, an aging demographic. And getting in, but more importantly out of a low-slung car is getting harder the older I get.
Right. I twisted my back getting in my sedan a couple of days ago. I took my wife’s CUV to the chiropractor today and was glad to have it.
As someone who suffers from skeletal sclerosis, is less than two months from retirement, and owns a sedan, I really haven’t had any problems getting in and out. That’s my anecdotal information.
I believe the success of SUVs is down to a generation or two raised in minivans and not knowing anything about coupes or sedans, the snowstorm of 1996 when SUVs started to take off, and the movie, “The War of the Roses.”
I am proud to proclaim that I have never purchased a miniva… sorry, SUV. Tomato / tomahto.
That G70 Shooting brake is a wagon not a shooting brake
It took me about 6 years to convince my wife wagons are cool and practical. Now that she loves them they are all going away. The universe is cruel. May the wagon gods shine back down on us someday.
I do very much enjoy the Wingbacks design, but like a lot of modern wagons, designers seem to have forgotten how to design a good looking D pillar. One of the reason Audi wagons look so good is all in the D pillar.
I think that the wagon could see a comeback, but not necessarily for the reasons above. I think wagons died because there was a whole generation that grew up with wagons being Mom’s car and uncool. They all bought minivans when they had kids and started killing the wagons off. The next generation grew up in minivans and so they moved on to crossovers. I think there’s a good chance that the crossover kid generation goes back to the wagons but maybe they’ll all move on to Maverick like utes.
I’m going to say the Model Y is a crossover in name only. It’s more a large hatchback than a crossover, despite having AWD in all but base models. Brilliant vehicle, whatever it’s called.
Sell me a Wingback so I can buy a plate that says, CHAIR. Seriously, that’s a gorgeous piece.
The new Kia K4 hatchback is a longroof, it is one of the least expensive cars in the US and if they sold it with the turbo engine and a manual transmission (like they do everywhere else) I would buy one in a heartbeat.
How many of the currently available long roof wagons don’t have 4wd or AWD?
Does the Crown Signia have am AWD version? You can set least get the EV6 in RWD if you want too.
Crown Signia has AWD standard. EV6 does offer RWD, but AWD seems like it outsells RWD. I think we can remove RWD vs AWD as a factor in either pricing or capabilities for the wagon vs CUV comparison.
Assuming vehicle preferences follow the same patterns that kids naming does, high priced only wagons for the rich will steer preferences towards cheaper wagons in a few years.