Could Volvo gring back a wagon for 2028?.

According to Autocar, Volvo’s chief technology officer, Anders Bell, has been floating the idea of bringing wagons back into the lineup. That would, of course, be welcome news for wagon loyalists everywhere,and especially for Volvo diehards.

Lower rooflines and sleeker profiles cut through the air more cleanly than tall, bluff crossovers. In the EV era, where every fraction of efficiency matters and range anxiety still lurks in the background, that advantage isn’t trivial. It’s basic physics doing what basic physics has always done. The new SPA3 platform is apparently much more flexible and could allow for a wagon body style in the future.

Trends do move in cycles, and China’s auto market has proven surprisingly open to body styles the U.S. abandoned years ago. If wagons are genuinely heating up there,

would be foolish not to at least explore the opportunity.

Considering Volvo has been under Chinese ownership for well over a decade, it’s not hard to see how it might be well positioned to compete against domestic Chinese brands with a sleek new estate or two. Platform sharing, battery development, and software ecosystems are no longer regional affairs. A new long-roof derivative would be a logical extension rather than a risky gamble.

Americans have spent the last decades convincing themselves that what they really need is a tall vehicle shaped like a refrigerator. Wagons, meanwhile, were quietly escorted off the lot. If Volvo wants another shot here, it will have to do more than simply electrify the formula and hope nostalgia carries the rest.

The last year for the V60 in the U.S. was 2018 (with the V60 Cross Country hanging on until last year). Sales dipped to just under 600 units in that final year, down dramatically from 4,429 in 2017. The Cross Country variant didn’t exactly set the world ablaze either, moving 3,630 units last year. Which was still better than 2024, when sales fell below 1,800. Those aren’t numbers that inspire boardroom confidence.

So yes, it’s easy to understand why Volvo pulled the plug on wagons in America. What’s less clear is why an electric one would suddenly reverse the trend. EV credentials alone won’t transform consumer taste overnight. Perhaps offering a range-extended EV version (REV) could widen the appeal. REVs are gaining momentum because they eliminate charging discipline from the equation. Owners don’t have to plug in constantly to feel virtuous, which might be exactly the kind of low-effort solution the masses could embrace. In that sense, REVs could quietly replace traditional PHEVs, whose theoretical efficiency often depends on habits many drivers never fully adopt.

Of course, beyond powertrains and market strategy, there’s the small matter of design. A new Volvo wagon would have to be genuinely stunning. Not just tidy. Not merely sensible. It would need presence,something low, wide, and unmistakably modern. Recent efforts like the new XC60, competent as it may be, haven’t exactly stirred the soul. And the somewhat lumpy-looking ES90 sedan doesn’t scream design renaissance either.

The EV transition reshuffles assumptions. Aerodynamics matter more. Efficiency matters more. Brand identity might matter more, too. A striking electric wagon could serve as both halo car and quiet rebellion against crossover monotony.

So yes, maybe there’s still hope. Provided Volvo remembers what made its wagons special in the first place, and resists the temptation to simply build another SUV that forgot how to stand up straight.

The illustration above shows a new wagon that just looks like a lowered EX60. Let’s hope they can do better…