Volkswagen Sharan taken off sale after more than ten years
Seven-seat MPV follows Seat Alhambra sibling out of dealerships, with no direct replacement lined up
Volkswagen has taken its seven-seat Sharan MPV off sale in the UK, ten years since it was introduced to the market.
The move comes as part of a regional model year range update, though the Sharan will remain on sale in other global markets for "some time to come", a spokesperson told Autocar.
No direct replacement has been lined up for the long-serving people carrier, though the smaller Touran and recently revised Tiguan Allspace cater to the seven-seat market.
The confirmation comes more than a year after its closely related Seat Alhambra sibling left UK showrooms. The Ford Galaxy rival had been produced at the Volkswagen Group's AutoEuropa plant in Portugal since the first generation was launched in 1995.
As with the Touran, the Alhambra remains in production for non-UK markets, although it's likely this is only for the short term.
Seat issued a statement on the Alhambra's end of UK sale, saying it was "reviewing the suitability of older models to ensure we’re fit and sustainable for the future."
'As part of this strategy we’re focusing on new and electric models such as the Seat Leon plug-in hybrid and Cupra Formentor plug-in hybrid crossover coupé and will be removing older vehicles from sale with newer, cleaner models to replace them in the future.”
The large MPV market has long suffered at the hands of SUVs, with a growing number of seven-seat options available. However, the space and versatility the Sharan and Alhambra offered meant there were enough sales from large families, fleets and private hire companies to sustain it until now.
Nearly half a million examples have found homes over the years.
A replacement for the Alhambra and Sharan isn't currently on the cards, with the Volkswagen Group looking to novel designs such as the electric Volkswagen ID Buzz to carry the torch for MPVs.
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