If you ask BMW insiders about about 5GT killing the 5 Series wagon, they ‘ll tell you that (a) the decision hasn ‘t been officially made and (b) if the wagon dies in the US, it ‘s not solely because of the 5GT. So why is the 5 Series wagon disappearing? Simply put its sales vs. the costs associated with bringing the car to US market. I think it ‘s worth noting that there are many within BMW who lament the notion of not having wagons in the US. However, ultimately BMW is a small automaker that can ‘t afford to spend money on products it can ‘t recoup in sales.

So the same for the 3 Series wagon then? While we haven ‘t had as many conversations about the 3er as we have about the 5er, the writing is on the wall. We ‘d give it a 20% chance of living on past the E91 platform. Again, with more people moving into X3s and the upcoming X1 (and 3GT) BMW is simply trying to hedge bets when it comes to investing in products for the US market.

As a former owner of a 3 Series Touring I can attest to what a perfect blend of utility of performance the vehicle is. Yet, the fact remains that there aren ‘t that many of me out there buying these cars. This is especially true of the 5 Series wagon. At over $60,000 equipped it ‘s not something that is in the realm of possibility for many interested parties. And here ‘s where it gets interesting. There ‘s a wagon stigma in this country that (demographically speaking) lies squarely in the middle of the type of person who can afford a $60k 5er Touring and would benefit from the utility. Instead these people (scarred from wagons of their youth) are buying crossovers and SUVs. Yet it ‘s the younger generation (i.e. the people that bring you BimmerFile and/or read it) that are more open to wagon ownership. It ‘s just unfortunate that many of these folks can ‘t afford the upfront costs of a new E60 wagon (or even an E91).

So what does all this mean? BMW will likely kill the wagons for the next generation 3 and 5 series. However, the generation after that could see a rebirth as the buying power of generations shift. Time will tell.