Why was it approved for production? Because Volkswagen believes it looks very good.
We still can’t wrap our heads around the idea of a crossover convertible even though the Range Rover Evoque Convertible has been around for a while and there were others before it, such as the odd Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet. Another mashup is in the works as Volkswagen will be launching the T-Roc Convertible in 2020. The peeps from Wolfsburg are perfectly aware people won’t exactly be flocking into the company’s dealerships to place an order for the automotive oddity, yet the head honchos gave it their proverbial stamp of approval.
Why? Despite not making “rational sense” according to a statement made by sales boss Jürgen Stackmann, the T-Roc Convertible looked quite fetching in the concept designs and it didn’t take too long for the high-ranked execs to green-light it for production. The man in charge of sales at VW admits there won’t be a “huge market” for the droptop crossover, mentioning it will only be popular in a few countries. Even so, folks from within the company “felt passionately” about giving the niche model the thumbs up for production.
VAG’s Evoque Convertible rival will be built starting with the second half of 2020 at the Osnabrück plant where the company is investing €80 million ($92.6M at current exchange rates) to get the assembly plant ready for the T-Roc Convertible. It won’t be the only model in production at the factory located in north-west Germany as in the same place VW is putting together the Tiguan and the Porsche Cayman as well as doing the painting work for the Skoda Fabia.
Before coming out with the T-Roc Convertible, VW will bolster its crossover portfolio with a new entry-level model taking the shape of the Polo-based T-Cross. The subcompact model is set to be launched in Europe later this year when it will slot underneath the T-Roc.
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