Volvo Cars’ UK unit has reversed its decision to axe estate cars (aka station wagons) and will reintroduce the V60 and V90 with orders opening in July.
Before they were withdrawn from sale, both models started at about GBP41,000, according to the Guardian newspaper.
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The report said the traditional estate car – usually a boxy five seater with room for luggage (or dogs) in the boot – had fallen out of favour in many parts of the world, and in 2023 SUVs accounted for nearly half of global car sales.
Volvo told the paper: “While this [shift to SUVs] remains a long-term trend, we have seen a resurgence for our estate products in recent months and have decided to reintroduce the V60 and V90 to our UK portfolio in response to this. We will begin taking orders next month.”
Tom Leathes, the chief executive of car selling website Motorway, told the Guardian estate cars – which make up 7% of its sales – were still in high demand because of their fuel efficiency compared with the more popular SUVs. He added that used prices for the V60 had increased by 2% quarter on quarter. “There is still high demand from our dealer partners to stock their forecourts with these modern-day classics,” he said.
Volvo added: “When operating in a fast-moving industry, we continually re-evaluate our product portfolio to ensure we have the right mix to serve all our customers. As part of this process, it is not uncommon for us to remove certain models or derivatives from sale and reintroduce them later.”
