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NEWS
The wait for Volkswagen Golf 7 Cabrio
It may not even happen... if history is any guideDon't hold out too much hope there'll be a drop-top version of the new Golf 7 anytime soon. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, VW Executive Vice President, last week hinted that the current Golf 6 Cabrio is likely to soldier on for quite a while, and when it's time for a change, the sixth-generation car may be upgraded rather than replaced – or even dropped altogether.
"If you look into Golf history, the Golf Cabrio always had a longer life," Dr Hackenberg told Aussie journalists present for the local launch of the new Golf 7. The story of the Golf Cabrio reads like that of a vehicle on the very edge of commercial viability and occasionally at the whim of marketing decisions from within the company.
The original Golf Cabriolet was a first-generation Golf assembled with a folding roof by Karmann. It was sold briefly in Australia, alongside the second-generation Golf GTI, prior to the introduction of the Golf 3. A cabrio model in that series of car continued to sell alongside the Golf 4 and subsequently featured front and rear styling details from the newer car.
Golf 5 was due for its own Cabrio model, built on the same platform and sharing the underpinnings of the hatchback models, as Dr Hackenberg stated, but Volkswagen chose instead to introduce Eos as a successor to the Golf 4 Cabrio. By the time Golf 6 was introduced, Eos had taken on a life of its own and was perceived to be positioned further upmarket of previous Golf Cabrio models.
"Volkswagen did not have a Golf Cabriolet," Dr Hackenberg continued, "[but then] Audi made the A3 [Cabriolet], which was originally a Volkswagen concept."
That naturally spurred Volkswagen to revive the Golf-based Cabrio concept once more, which it did with the Golf 6, but the problem remains – how to amortise the cost of developing low-volume variants like the Cabrio over the same timeframe as the rest of the range? Quite simply, it can't be done. So the Golf 6-based Cabrio will remain in production well into the life cycle of Golf 7, Dr Hackenberg hinted.
"We will make some model [changes]," he acknowledged.
Changes like Golf 7 drivetrains for Golf 6 Cabrio, for instance?
"It's not decided, but if we make a Cabrio based on the Golf 7 it will be later."
Making money from folding-roof variants of the Golf is even tougher since the GFC, according to Dr Hackenberg. And the problem is exacerbated by Eos cannibalising Golf Cabrio sales. For these reasons, Cabrio sales are likely to continue trending downwards, the VW chief agrees.
"It's a tendency, yes."
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Written byKen Gratton
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