Volkswagen will launch a 2+2 convertible in 2006 based on the Concept C show car.

The still-unnamed front-wheel-drive convertible will have a retractable folding hard top, similar to those on expensive roadsters such as the Mercedes-Benz SLK. General Motors is planning a retractable hard-top version of the Pontiac G6.

VW's car will be positioned between the upscale Phaeton and the mid-sized Passat sedan, Hunt says.

VW wants to sell the car in the $30,000 range in the United States. But final pricing is subject to the relationship between the dollar and the euro. Hunt says VW isn't likely to sell more than 15,000 of the convertibles annually in the United States.

The car will be smaller than the replacement Passat due this summer. In VW's modular system, it will draw components from both the Passat and 2005 Jetta compact that goes on sale Saturday, March 19, Hunt says.

The convertible will fill a void left by the Golf Cabrio, which went out of production in 2002, Hunt says. The only convertible in VW's lineup is the New Beetle. The Concept C vehicle was shown at the 2004 Geneva auto show.

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=101967

 

well it's different...

$30K is pretty damn close to an audi a4 convertible.

 

WHOA! i kinda like it

 

A car from VW that makes me go WOW!

But I will be wondering if some VW electrical problem will stop the roof during its recession and you have a half-conertible while going 40mph. Hmmmm.

 

Before you all get tickled pink about the styling, keep in mind these pictures are of the concept version.

 

i like it a lot, but i was expecting it to be placed lower in their lineup. how much was the last golf cabrio? it seems like it's going to be bigger than the cabrio, and much nicer. filling-a-void doesn't quite seem right - more like creating another slot for itself. but maybe they mean that they simply want another convertible in their lineup.

i think if they had been able to cut the cost down a little (a lot, actually), it'd be a great, fun car to drive/own. AND they'd be able to sell a lot more units.

is this model with this pricing another attempt to spread more into the premium market, eg BMW 3-series convertible?

 

The cabrio was too expensive for its own good. Hopefully this won't be another "crap should have sold it as audi" kind of car.

 

Nice. I like the tails. I would expect them to make it into the production version. Like S2K+G35

 

Looks good :thumbup:

 

looks pretty hawt.