Wagons have been pretty much dead in the U.S. for a while now, but that doesn’t make it less painful to see a cool new wagon that the rest of the world is getting. The most recent example of this longing is in the new Mazda6 Wagon that will make its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. The 2018 Mazda6 sedan debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show and it will be making its European debut in Geneva alongside its wagon counterpart.
If you’re wondering why it probably isn’t coming to the States, all you need to know is that the Mazda CX-5 is consistently outselling every other Mazda (combined) in the U.S. Crossovers are so popular over here that anyone who would normally be in the market for a wagon would rather opt for a crossover to get the taller ride height and the cool mom image. That fact that only the refreshed Mazda6 sedan was at the LA Auto Show without a wagon beside it isn’t a good sign for American availability.
The last time we got a Mazda6 wagon in the U.S. was way back in its first generation in the mid-2000s. It was marketed as a “Sport Wagon” and it was praised for its combination of practicality, sharp looks, and sporty driving dynamics, but was never a big sales success in the U.S. We reached out to Mazda asking about U.S. availability of the new wagon and were told “we do not comment on speculations for future products,” in an email.
Also on display at the Mazda booth in Geneva will be the new Skyactiv-X engine. Skyactiv-X uses what Mazda calls Spark Controlled Compression Ignition, a combustion method designed to combine the virtues of gas and diesel engines to both maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.
While the demise of the wagon in the United States appears to be permanent, it’s still nice to see automakers designing cool wagons for the markets that still like them.