If You Want a New BMW 3 Series Sport Wagon, You Better Order One Now!

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Dec 11, 2018

The next-gen model isn't coming to U.S. Shores

Unlike Prince Akeem, the new BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon is not coming to America. That’s the word from BMW itself after a spokesperson from BMW North America confirmed that the next-generation 3 Series Sports Wagon is not headed to the U.S. market. Simmer’s decision to skip on selling the 3 Series Sports Wagon in the U.S. ends the model’s 20-year run in America. BMW has sold the 3er wagon in the U.S. since the E46 generation, which lasted from 1998 to 2006 before making way for the E90 and F30 generations of the popular nameplate. But now that BMW has switched over to the all-new, G20 generation, the list of models available here in the U.S. will miss one staple. You can still buy a 3 Series Sport Wagon, but you'll have to settle for the current-generation F30 model.

This really isn’t all that surprising, but it’s still a blow to those who remain loyal to wagons. The inescapable truth is that wagons don’t sell in the U.S. as much as it used to. That’s also true for sedans as crossovers, SUVs, and light trucks have become the go-to vehicle choices among American buyers. As popular and as famous as the 3 Series nameplate is, it hasn’t been immune to the sales crunch that has plagued just about every vehicle in the sedan and wagon markets. Check its total sales so far in the U.S. through November 2018.

Through November 2018, sales of the 3 Series this year sits at 41,394. That includes all versions of the 3 Series that are available in the U.S., including the 3 Series Sports Wagon. That’s an alarming figure considering that just last year, BMW sold more than 70,000 units of the 3 Series. If current trends hold, Bimmer would be lucky to make it to 45,000 sold units in 2018. That, folks, is a 35 percent decline in sales in the course of one year. 35 percent! Yikes.

That’s one of the reasons why BMW has gone cold on offering the next-generation 3 Series in the U.S. It doesn’t sell as well as its sedan counterpart, and with sales of the sedan struggling as well, why even bother bringing the wagon here if no one’s going to buy it. In the case of BMW, sales of the X3 crossover have already exceeded the automaker’s record sales year in 2016, and that record was eclipsed in the middle of last month. At its current pace, BMW could sell close to 60,000 units of the X3 in the U.S. this year.

So don’t be shocked that a BMW spokesperson confirmed to CarBuzz that “BMW off North America has no plans to bring the next generation 3 Series Sports Wagon to the U.S. market.” It’s not bringing it because fewer people are buying it.

Fortunately, those are looking for a 3 Series Sports wagon can still get one. The caveat is that you’ll have to get one sooner or later because as it is, Bimmer is only offering one configuration of the 3 Series Sports Sedan in the U.S.: the F30 330i xDrive. It’s powered by a 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, with power directed to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Power numbers aside, BMW is only offering the model until supplies last. Once it’s gone, that’s all she wrote for Bimmer’s 3 Series wagon in America, at least for the time being.

It’s a sad ending for what was once a staple on American roads. But as it is, BMW is simply responding to the business terrain in the U.S. Sedans and wagons are losing their appeal in the face of the crossover and SUV invasion. The G20 BMW 3 Series Sports Sedan is simply a victim of unfortunate circumstances that are beyond its control.

Further Reading