Volkswagen to retire Golf Alltrack, SportWagen

Production is scheduled to cease before the end of the year.

Both will be discontinued after the current model year. The Alltrack will still be in production until December 2019.

The automaker is not shy in blaming the move on an ongoing shift in consumer tastes. In the first half of the year, SUVs accounted for half of the company's sales.

"SUVs have definitely assumed the mantle of family haulers from the station wagons and minivans we remember from our childhoods," said VW of America chief Scott Keogh.

To fill the void, the company plans to release three new high-riding models in the next 24 months. The Atlas Cross Sport will be unveiled later this year, while the all-electric ID Crozz is slated to make its debut early next year. Yet another smaller SUV will arrive in 2021, slotting below the Tiguan.