Folding hardtops are Sydney stars

There’s no shortage of character coupes coming Down Under. Indeed, this year’s Australian International Motor Show saw four mass-market brands all debut affordable, folding hardtop, four-place, two-doors -- all of which will be on sale here before mid-2007.

And we’re not talking premium or near premium brands here -- rather, honest-to-goodness cooking model coupe-cabriolets. Open air for the people!

Holden’s Twin Top heads-up the latest Astra range and effectively replaces two cars -- the Astra convertible and the Tigra baby coupe-cabrio. Powered by a 2.2-litre 110kW petrol engine, the Twin Top kicks off at $45,490 for the manual version with the auto priced at $47,490.

Featuring an electric three-piece folding hardtop, the Twin Top goes from open roadster to closed coupe in 30 seconds, according to Holden. Standard inclusions are sports suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather trim, six-disc in-dash audio and rear park assist. It goes on sale in December.

No pricing or detailed specifications have been announced for Ford’s tilt at the fresh air crowd, the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet. First seen Down Under as the Vignale Concept at Melbourne Motor Show earlier this year, the Focus CC will go on sale in mid-2007 in both manual and auto versions.

Designed in partnership with Italian styling house and specialist builder, Pininfarina,  the Focus is (like the Astra Twin Top) a full four-seater. According to Ford, the Focus’ two-piece roof pips the Holden in the open-air ‘race’ -- 29 seconds from closed to open!

Ford says there’s a generous boot that delivers 248 litres of luggage space even with the roof stowed. Safety features include a roll-over protection system and a full complement of airbags.

No firm news on the powerplant options. A 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine is the likely engine. Shame there’s not going to be a version with the XR5’s five-cylinder turbocharged powerplant.

Volkswagen’s EOS coupe-cabriolet also unveiled at AIMS, breaks the local open car mold by offering a turbodiesel powerplant alongside the expected turbocharged petrol engine. The 2.0 TDI will offer 103kW and a stonking 320Nm or torque. The Golf GTI supplies the EOS’s petrol powerplant delivering 147kW/280Nm. Both manual and DSG version will be offered.

While based on the Golf, the EOS has a styling mix all its own and an interior that looks a class above the Ford and Holden offering.

Further trumping the Focus and Astra, the EOS features a five-piece folding hardtop which incorporates a sliding and tilting glass sunroof. It’s faster than both the Ford and Holden models too, taking just 25 seconds from coupe to open air.

Volkswagen says the car will be on sale in the first quarter of 2007. No pricing has been announced but VW sources say the company intends to compete head-to-head with the abovementioned CCs (see CarPoint Confidential tomorrow for more details).

Smaller in size, but no lightweight in style and still four-seaters (but plenty squeezy in the rear we’re picking!) Mitsubishi’s turbo and naturally aspirated Colt Cabriolets should catch the eye on pricing alone.

On sale officially last week, the Cabriolet is based on the CZ2 concept car and is a collaboration between Mitsubishi and Pininfarina. Built in Italy, both models feature a five-speed manual gearbox.

The 80kW ‘atmo’ Colt hits dealers at $32,990 with the 110kW turbo version priced from $37,990.