It appears the sun is setting on the Volkswagen Eos after only six years in production. Volkswagen design boss Klaus Bischoff confirmed to Autocar that the Eos will be shelved in favor of a larger soft-top convertible. Bischoff also said that it wouldn’t be long until a successor to the Eos is introduced.
“The Eos will not be prolonged when it comes off the market,” said Bischoff to Autocar. “Retractable hardtops are disappearing from the market now, and to be honest that’s not something I mind.”
Bischoff also confirmed that Volkswagen is currently exploring a full-size, four-seat convertible and that’s only one of 100 design studies being worked on by his team.
“There’s definitely room in our line-up for a larger convertible, so why not do it,” said Bischoff to Autocar. “The problem with such ambitions is that all our existing factories are at full capacity, so any new additions means building new factories.”
A new model would mean the retooling of the AutoEuropa facility in Portugal, where the Eos is currently built. The Eos is the first production coupe assembled by Volkswagen since the Corrado was discontinued in 1995. With its five-piece folding roof, the Eos allows its passengers to be under the sun in about 25 seconds, a little long by today’s standards. When folded down, the roof reduces trunk space from 10.5 cubic feet to 6.6 cubic feet.
The Eos went under the knife back in 2010 for a facelift and now carries the same front-end design that’s making its way across Volkswagen’s lineup. Details about an Eos successor are still cloudy but another convertible would keep the total number of soft-tops in Volkswagen’s portfolio at three (Beetle and Golf too).
As soon as we get more information we’ll pass it along to you so stay tuned.
What say you? What should Volkswagen replace the Eos with? Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
Source: Autocar
