Jaguar XF Sportbrake Heading to America; Could It Spark a Wagon War?

Call it a longshot, but two wagon revelations in one week have us wondering if a long-ignored vehicle segment is about to see a resurgence in the SUV-loving U.S.

The latest news comes by way of Motor Trend, which confirms the upcoming Jaguar XF Sportbrake — British newspeak for “wagon” — is bound for these shores.

Speaking at the Paris Auto Show, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Joe Eberhardt claimed the model is a “global vehicle,” meaning North America (or at least the U.S.) gets a cargo-happy Jag that isn’t an F-Pace.

The automaker plans to unveil the XF Sportbrake at an unnamed auto show next year. A production model should arrive as a 2018 model. While he didn’t go into too much detail, Eberhardt claims the Sportbrake adopts aluminum architecture and the Ingenium engines found in its sedan sibling. That likely means a turbocharged 2.0-liter gas engine and the 2.0-liter diesel.

The Sportbrake news comes as Buick readies its next-generation Regal. TTAC confirmed yesterday the enlarged 2018 model, due for a second quarter 2017 reveal, will indeed come in a wagon variant. While Jaguar aims for a sporty offering, Buick’s wagon will likely appear as an all-wheel-drive model with crossover pretensions.

Wagons still find fans on the other side of the Atlantic, but automakers have loathed to return them to the U.S. market. And who can blame them? The buying public has increasingly shunned traditional sedans in favor of trucks, SUVs and crossovers. Wagons, once the go-to family hauler, have almost completely ceded their territory to larger utility vehicles.

Is there a chance that the passage of time, coupled with the development of modern vehicle platforms and bodies that don’t inspire narcolepsy, could compel buyers to forget the past and consider adding a wagon to their driveway? Jaguar and Buick sure hope so. When the XF Sportbrake and Regal wagon do arrive, you can bet that other automakers will keep a watchful eye on their sales.