Volkswagen drops T-Roc cabriolet, leaving no open car in entire range

MUNICH: Volkswagen reportedly plans to drop the wind-in-your-hair version of the T-Roc, leaving the manufacturer's line-up without a convertible for the first time in years.

VW says the market for convertibles is too small to merit continuing the model, industry gazette Automotive News Europe reports, ahead of the planned launch of a new version of the small SUV in 2025.

Axing the open T-Roc further reduces the availability of soft-tops in Europe and the move has puzzled industry insiders who believed the car had carved out a niche in the market.

The T-Roc Cabriolet had sales of 11,693 units during the first 11 months of 2023 and and was Europe's second best-selling soft top after BMW's Mini convertible.

The last convertible VW before the axed T-Roc was the Mark VI version of the Golf convertible which was dropped in 2016 after being first introduced in 1979. In various incarnations the open Golf was a steady seller for years.

The Golf I version featured a odd-looking central roll-over bar which quickly earned the car the unflattering nickname of "strawberry basket".

The current T-Roc was launched in 2017 with the soft-top added in 2020. The new model uses the MBQ Evo platform, which also underpins the Golf's upcoming face-lift, as well as the new Passat and Tiguan.

The new T-Roc is also set to be among VW's last combustion-engine cars, VW brand's development boss Kai Grunitz told press at the sidelines of the 2024 CES tech event in Las Vegas.