It’s a simple fact that SUVs and crossovers have out-Darwined the station wagon. And, sure – the taller driving position offers road presence, but when it comes to real-world utility, a proper long-roof wagon can hang with the best of them while offering Teutonic driving dynamics no SUV can match. All it would take to spark a wagon revival in the US is one sleek, solidly built, and affordable entry from a mainstream brand. And VW already has the perfect candidate waiting in the wings. Meet the Škoda Vision O (Passat badges not included).
Volkswagen has spent the last three decades chasing a premium image that nobody (least of all Audi) seems to want it to have. The results speak for themselves, and VW dealers in the US have been struggling to move the brand’s $70,000 ID.Buzz minivan and Arteon – heck, the ID.7 didn’t even make it to showrooms before VW pulled the plug. Now, just as VW is set to re-launch the Scout brand with fresh, relatively accessible new products in high-demand markets, frustrated franchise dealers are suing for the right to sell Scout-branded pickups and SUVs.
What if Volkswagen corporate gave those frustrated dealers an olive branch? Something true to the brand, with a little brand heritage, that was genuinely compelling? Something like a new electric station wagon with a familiar name and a starting price tag somewhere south of $39,999.
That’s where the new Škoda Vision 0 could come in as an affordable, practical, and stylish wagon that could spearhead a return to the sort of people’s car identity that Volkswagen of America so desperately needs.
Be not afraid
When Volkswagen brought its Space Vizzion concept to the LA Auto Show a few years back, they called it a lot of things, from an SUV to a sporty crossover – but they were clearly afraid to call it a wagon. Office lore even has it that Seth Weintraub, the Blogfather, kept going around to the VW people saying, “Nice wagon you’ve got there!” and none of them laughed.
If you ever needed proof that VW’s American brand people had lost the plot, that might have been it. But the lukewarm reception they got for the low-riding long-roof VW with a luxury price tag convinced them Americans really didn’t want wagons.
By and large, that may be true. But VW is hovering around “just” 4% of US market share, and I’d bet that a lot of those four-percenters are buying VWs because of their fond memories of their old GTi or VR6 Jetta – not because they’ve bought into Volkswagen’s premium brand ambitions.
As it turned out, no one else seemed to like the ID.7 production version Space Vizzion that much, either. But, in classic VW fashion, the problem isn’t their product. To them, the problem is everyone else. And, frankly, it’s just not.
Vision 0 Concept
In Europe, Škoda is positioned as a value brand. Not cheap, per se – but not a luxury or status brand, either. Exactly how VW is still seen by many millions of Americans. If Volkswagen of America would be willing to wear that hat again, a re-badged Škoda (part of VW Group) could fit the bill. Here’s how Škoda’s CEO sees the wagon, itself:
At Škoda, our commitment to our customers – who have trusted us as leaders in the estate segment since 2016 – drives us to deliver the Vision O: a blend of innovative design, over 650 Liters of luggage space, autonomous driving capabilities, and an intuitive AI assistant. This vehicle transforms every journey into an effortless, empowering experience while advancing our sustainability goals and elevating our modern, solid, design principles.
KLAUS ZELLMER
Škoda brand CEO
Sounds great. And, built off of something like the ID.4’s SSP (Scalable Systems Platform) with the same specs as the ID.4, it could easily match that vehicle’s ~209 miles of range from the RWD, 62 kWh version, or 263/291 miles from the 82 kWh AWD/RWD versions.
On a lower, sleeker wagon that’s punching a smaller hole in the air? An SSP-based Passat wagon could even hit that magic “300 mile range” number. With the ID.4’s $40,000-ish price tag, I think that would be a real winner – at least in the context of VW’s Arteon, that sold just 5,500 units in its best year (2021).
I think VW could expect to sell 20,000 of them comfortably – putting them ahead of something like a Cybertruck in terms of outright sales and, hopefully, reminding the company’s marketing people of something they knew inherently back in the mid 1990s when they brought back the New Beetle: a halo car doesn’t have to be expensive, it just has to be loved.
People would love their Passat wagons.
That’s my take, anyway – but I’m sure I’m missing something. If you can think of a reason why a stylish electric station wagon from Volkswagen aimed right at the heart of the middle class wouldn’t make for a solid halo car, scroll down to the comments section and let me know what it is.
Original content from Electrek.
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