BMW 3-Series Wagon Will Make Its Way to U.S Shores

Five-doors, hatchbacks, wagons, estates, "touring" cars - call them what you may, the market for wagons in the United States is pretty small. That stands in marked contrast to their success around the world. As such, most mainstream vehicles do not have a wagon variant.

Surprisingly, they are more plentiful in the luxury segment; for entry-level cars Audi offers the A4 Avant, Cadillac has fielded the CTS Sport Wagon, and BMW sells the 3-Series Sports Wagon. For mid-size cars Audi has ditched the Avant, but Mercedes-Benz continues to produce the E-Class Wagon.

All are slow sellers, however. With the sixth-generation BMW 3-Series launching last week, many were wondering if sales of the wagon would continue in the U.S. Autoblog reports that BMW will bring it here again, after a debut in Europe where it is a pillar of BMW sales.

That means we won't see the car until possibly 2013, when coupe and convertible variants are introduced. Until then, coupe, convertible and wagon models of the current generation 3-Series will continue alongside the next-generation sedan.

It's surprising that BMW would be launching the car here again. It seemed likely they would follow the same strategy as the 5-Series Gran Turismo. Until it arrives, hang tight, wagon fans - your beloved mode of transportation isn't dead. As for us, we'll be looking forward to the next-generation 3 coupe.