Volvo to Kill V50 in the US

Swedish carmaker Volvo intends to discontinue the V50 station wagon in the United States, especially due to lowering demand, as customers are no longer interested in this type of car. Doug Speck, CEO of Volvo Cars of North America, said in a statement that V50 will be phased out in the United States but, instead, the company will continue to retail the XC70, a larger station wagon that will be however marketed as a crossover.

Because yes, Americans seem to be much more attracted by crossovers than station wagons and this is the main reason why Volvo isn't bringing the new V60 that debuted in Europe last year in the United States as well.

"Over the last decade the traditional station wagon segment has been on a decline," Speck said. "Through that period the crossover segment has grown exponentially. The reality is the crossovers of today are the wagons of yesteryear."

And judging by sales figures, Volvo seems to take the right decision, as the V50 has dropped a lot in recent years, especially in 2010 when only 1,720 units have been sold, according to a report by Automotive News. The sales peak was reached in 2005 when the company delivered a total of 5,486 units but ever since deliveries have dropped constantly. As a comparison, Volvo last year delivered a total of 3,951 XC70 crossovers, with sales expected to grow bigger by the end of this year.

"We are much more focused on succeeding with the XC range," Speck said. "The V50 decision is consistent with that strategy."