- Mercedes doesn’t see enough demand to warrant a C-Class EV wagon.
- Head of Exterior Design, Robert Lešnik, bluntly stated: “No one is buying it.”
- Designers and journalists appreciated the wagon, but that wasn’t enough.
A few years ago, wild rumors suggested that Mercedes would ditch all wagon models by the end of the decade to focus on higher-volume products. According to reports, the CLA Shooting Brake, C-Class Estate, and E-Class Estate are the last long-roof models. Although there has been no official confirmation from Stuttgart, the company’s Head of Exterior Design has now painted a gloomy picture.
Talk with automatic carRobert Lešnik revealed that car designers and journalists appreciate wagons, but the reality that Mercedes sees is that “no one buys them anymore”. As a result, the German luxury brand is reluctant to agree to production of the more practical electric C-Class sedan announced this week.
“We had three territories. Nobody bought it in America; we tried shooting brakes [version] from CLS and no one bought it. The Chinese don’t understand it and don’t buy it. Then there’s Europe, and if you look at the Mercedes E-Class, it’s quite expensive – so who can actually afford a car like that in Europe?’
2025 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
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2025 Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake
Photo by: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes is still selling the C-Class Estate with a combustion engine and will give the “S206” a mid-cycle facelift, meaning that will continue for the next few years. Additionally, the new CLA Shooting Brake is available with both ICE and EV powertrains, while the larger E-Class is not available at this time. The beautiful CLS Shooting Brake is now, sadly, just a memory, but it would be unrealistic to expect the automaker to sell so many wagons.
Looking at the competition, BMW recently teased an i3 Touring that would compete directly with the C-Class electric wagon if the three-pointed star made it. Additionally, the Munich has no competition for the CLA Shooting Brake, so it needs a smaller, more affordable model than the 5 Series/i5 Touring. BMW is open to making another 3 Series wagon with a combustion engine, but hasn’t made any commitments.
The electric C-Class is thought to be the sixth generation of the nameplate, and if a wagon doesn’t follow, it will be the first of its kind to forgo the body style. Since the “S202” debuted in the mid-1990s, Mercedes has offered an estate version. The Slovenian car designer wanted to keep the spirit of the wagon alive, but the demand was no longer there. His favorite Mercedes? The “almost perfect” E-Class Estate today.
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Motorcycle Pickup1: Even without the electric C-Class Estate, Mercedes still has plenty of cars in its extensive portfolio. It’s unclear how many will live to see the next generation, but it’s hard to imagine all of them disappearing by 2030. Perhaps a sensible solution would be to combine models, such as the two-door C-Class and the E-Class that evolves into the CLE Coupe/Convertible.
The wagon was a casualty of the SUV boom, and the volume spoke louder than words of appreciation from journalists, designers and enthusiasts. Mercedes wants to focus on the GLC over the electric C-Class Estate, but at least the gas-powered version is still around.
This lifted C-Class All-Terrain is just as versatile as the GLC, and it’s definitely the one I’d choose. Yes, I am honored to live in Europe, where the demand for wagons is still great.
