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The statistics speak for themselves: every fifth new car sold in Germany last year was an SUV.
And if you only look at the higher price ranges, the proportion is much higher.
This is a development that has long since reached the vehicle fleet.
At the latest since the plug-in hybrids, which are particularly frequently available for SUVs, have been subsidized by the state and, on top of that, the CO2 statistics have improved, company drivers are also sitting a little further above the ground and driving the supposedly more spacious, because larger car.
But as practical as off-road vehicles with their large trunk may be, as comfortably as you can get in and as good as you can look out and as uplifting as they should be for the ego: conventional station wagons are often simply the more elegant cars, and nothing beats the status of a stylish notchback sedan.
Because German frequent drivers in particular still swear by Avant, Touring, T-Model and Variant, and nothing beats a limousine in important China, the manufacturers remain loyal to these segments and lure fleet managers and fleet managers in particular with a number of attractive innovations.
Baby Benz's grandson
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The most important of these this year comes from Mercedes.
Because a new generation of the C-Class will be launched there in the summer at prices from 41,380 euros.
For the first time available from the start as a sedan and station wagon, the grandson of the Baby-Benz appears sportier on the outside and is more digital on the inside.
Because analogous to the also completely new S-Class, there is a larger screen landscape with a smarter operating system and a more vigilant army of assistants.
With a little more wheelbase and increased width, the Swabians also promise more space, especially in the rear, and a larger trunk.
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes is launching a new generation of the C-Class, available as a station wagon and limousine
Although there will not be a purely electric version, all engines are now at least electrified with a mild hybrid module.
In future only available with four-cylinder engines, Mercedes will be covering a range from 170 to 265 hp with three petrol and two diesels at the start and also has two plug-in hybrids up its sleeve.
Because, as before, the part-time electricity will be available again as gasoline and diesel - only with a significantly larger battery and therefore more than 100 kilometers of purely electric range.
Even if the C-Class is not an SUV, it cannot completely resist the trend: next year, the T-Model will therefore also be available as an all-terrain in an adventure look.
More space for children and suitcases
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In contrast, they are taking a different approach in Wolfsburg.
Because if the VW Passat Variant is too good and conservative as Germany's number one company car, the Lower Saxony now also sell a designer station wagon in the same class with identical technology.
To do this, they added a Shooting Brake to the Nobel Passat Arteon in autumn.
800 euros more expensive than the coupe sedan, but around 8,000 euros more expensive than a Passat Variant, he wants to bring lifestyle to the loading ramp.
VW does not change the length of 4.87 meters.
But because the roof is higher and the tailgate is steeper, the Shooting Brake offers a little more space for children and suitcases: You can enjoy more headroom on the back seat, and 565 liters fit behind the standard electric tailgate.
That is only two liters more than the four-door.
But when the rear seat is folded down, the load volume increases to 1632 liters and the space gained thus to 75 liters.
Of course, Passat drivers can only smile mildly about this - their Variant swallows 650 to 1780 liters.
But for that they are sitting in a disdainful Pampers bomber and not in an elegant eye-catcher.
Designer station wagon: the VW Arteon Shooting Brake
With the ambience of a jewelry box
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The third trend breaker this summer is the DS9 from France.
After DS emancipated itself from Citroën six years ago as an avant-garde luxury brand in the spirit of the legendary DS21 from the 1950s and then first built fine small and compact cars, the French now want to succeed with company cars and are signing up for the luxury class back: At prices from 47,550 euros, it should counter the southern German monotony with French finesse and a lot of Parisian luxury.
In addition to the stately format of 4.93 meters and a wheelbase of 2.90 meters, DS primarily relies on a lot of ornaments that should make the sleek hatchback an eye-catcher: daytime running lights such as saber teeth, headlights that rotate when started like on a concert stage , Chrome up over the hood, flush door handles and not only taillights like cut rubies at the back, but also position lights high up that are reminiscent of the legendary "Déesse".
Inside, DS promises the ambience of a jewelery box, lots of technology and even more comfort.
It is not for nothing that the French are equipping the DS9 with a night vision system, with a predictive adaptive chassis and air-conditioned massage seats even in the rear.
Alternatives for electric vehicles too
There are also new mid-range and luxury-class models on the Electric Avenue, away from the SUV trend.
In addition to fashion, psychology and practicality, there are even technical reasons for the silhouette of an off-road vehicle with electric cars, because this way the batteries can be better concealed in the ground.
But this year, especially in the upper class, there are a few alternatives that are either elegant or traditional or, in the best case, both.
This spring, Audi is selling the E-Tron GT at prices starting at 99,800 euros, which, as the technical cousin of the Porsche Taycan, aims to become a luxurious glider for connoisseurs.
There is a four-door coupé with a shape that melts away, batteries for a range of up to 488 kilometers, motors with a maximum of 646 hp and performance that is better than, for example, the A7.
BMW is also loyal to the classic design and is bringing its first electric car with stepped cut, the i4, in the summer, which is literally a hip flask between the iX3 and iX and with a range of almost 600 kilometers should also be suitable as a company car for frequent drivers.
The best of both worlds
Mercedes even electrifies its flagship.
Because as an electric alternative to the S-Class, the EQS will finally arrive in late summer at prices just under 100,000 euros.
Constructed for the first time at Mercedes on a platform specially developed around the electric drive and drawn in a quick sweep, this luxury sedan is intended to lead Mercedes to the forefront of electric movement.
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The Swabians not only rely on a battery with a record-breaking 107 kWh and a correspondingly impressive range of 770 kilometers, but also on a completely new interior with the most colorful screen landscape in a car to date.
But as elegant as the E-Tron GT looks, as classic as the i4 may appear and as much status the EQS may promise, Porsche is perhaps best able to capture the zeitgeist with the Taycan Cross Turismo.
A good year after the start, the Swabians are now converting their electric debut to the Shooting Brake with a steep tailgate for a surcharge of almost laughable 1500 euros, pasting a few rustic plastic planks on the sheet metal and jacking the car up a few centimeters.
It doesn't look like an SUV, but it offers all of its advantages and combines the best of both worlds.