(from VW Press Release) At the
74th Geneva Automobile Salon, Volkswagen will be showcasing its new
(semi-series-mature) cabriolet, the concept C design study. (C stands
for cabriolet and coupé.) The vehicle features a new generation of
fold-away steel roof, which transforms this four-seat Volkswagen from a
coupé to a cabriolet in a matter of only seconds. Or vice-versa, of
course. In a stroke of engineering genius, the roof also features an
integrated glass sunroof. This exciting new automobile provides a view
on things to come, on how a new Volkswagen cabriolet in the next-higher
vehicle class to the successful New Beetle Cabriolet could ultimately
look. And performance? The concept C is driven by a 110-kW / 150-hp FSI
engine.
A
cabriolet-coupé of exceptional dimension
Taking a whole new approach. What makes
this automobile so distinctive is its design, the base technology used
and its dimensions. The progressive look of the concept C, with its
"Pure Essence” metallic finish, takes the fascinating form first used on
the concept R roadster design study, with all deviating contours having
been subjected to intriguingly new design ideas. The same is true of the
technology used: the concept C features an array of newly developed
components.
These components enable a new interplay of vehicle dimensions. The
concept C has moved away from the class of cabriolet found in the A
segment. Positioned in the mid-class segment, it is as much a cabriolet
as it is a coupé. This automobile looks wider than any other cabriolet
in the A or B segment - and it is. Because of its extreme width of 1.81
metres (1.43 m high / 4.41 m long), the concept C rests as sturdily upon
its wheels as would a beefy, high-calibre sports car. A tread width of
the axles is designed to accommodate future vehicle generations and
helps to produce exceptional agility and reliable handling properties in
the concept C. The result is pure driving pleasure - be it with the roof
up or down.
The interior of this fully-fledged four seater. The vehicle's dual-tone
interior offers similarly attractive dimensions and details. The upper
sections of the compartment (dashboard, spandrel and the instrument
panel) are a rich green (known as "Deep Storm”), with a lighter beige
tone ("On Shore”) used for the seats, the upholstery and all the
interior elements situated below the window rails. The inner section of
the seats themselves have been given a particularly stylish touch
through the contrasting stripes that run across them. Timber
applications on the side panels produce an exceptionally luxurious look.
The upper sections of the door panels take on the styled curve of the
dashboard. And the newly developed cockpit, with its instruments set in
brushed aluminium frames, ideally interprets the sporty character of the
concept C. This high-quality material is also used in the design of the
air outlets.
The cabriolet-coupé design study was devised as a fully-fledged
four-seat vehicle, which is why it features easy-entry rear seats as
well as a comfortable and ergonomic seat design for rear-compartment
passengers. It goes without saying that the newly developed interior of
this car features four airbags and a roll-over safety system.
Attractive market segments. With all these properties (both cabriolet-
and coupe-like), with its unconventional dimensions and its claim to
excellence in terms of technology and quality, a hypothetical series
version of the concept C would find itself positioned in a very exciting
market. In western Europe, for example, some 337,000 new cabriolets and
roadsters were sold in 2003 (across all vehicle classes). The concept C
is a cabriolet! Likewise in 2003, close to 240,000 coupés were sold. The
concept C is a coupe! There is a good chance that these 580,000 or so
cabriolet and coupé owners will eventually have a new alternative to
choose from, i.e. a Volkswagen which is as visually appealing as it is
technologically revolutionary, a car with more room and comfort than the
derivates of the A class, yet more athletic and versatile than many of
its competitors in the B segment. For, to date, the B segment has not
produced a four-seat cabriolet which, like the concept C, has both a
folding steel roof as well as a glass sunroof. These are comfort
features normally only offered in a coupé.
The folding roof:
The most innovative cabriolet roof system in use anywhere in the world
Coupé roof, sliding sunroof and cabriolet
roof. The new, five-level, electro-hydraulic hardtop system in the
concept C is a multitalented, tri-functional solution: a coupé roof, a
sliding sunroof and a cabriolet roof all incorporated into the one
system. This type of combination, in this form, is truly unique and
special.
The coupe roof: When the hardtop is up, it combines with the vehicle
body to form a dynamically homogeneous profile. The benefits are
obvious: wind and ambient noise levels do not exceed those of a
comparable type of classic coupe, and the safety aspect also comes into
play.
The sliding glass sunroof: One of the technical highlights of this
hardtop system is its integrated sunroof. It is electrically controlled,
sliding open at the push of a button and letting just the desired amount
of fresh air and sunlight into the passenger compartment (it includes a
tilted ventilation setting). This is basically a conventional sunroof,
only that, in the case of the concept C, it is actually fitted into a
convertible roof - a convertible roof, that is, with the added advantage
of allowing light into the interior of the car event when it is up.
The cabriolet roof: The roof of the concept C is drawn open and back by
way of an electro-hydraulic motor. The way in which this intelligently
constructed five-part roof system tucks away out of sight is truly
astonishing - both technologically and visually.
Once the lock-in mechanism is released, the sunroof retracts to the back
of the vehicle (stage 1). Then the rear windscreen (including the C
pillar) lifts up and glides forward (stage 2). By this time, the glass
sunroof is moved underneath the rear end of the hardtop roof, forming a
compact sandwich unit. The system hydraulics now fold the boot lid, to
which the rear shelf is attached, all way back (stage 3). The sandwich
unit then slides back and into place; only now do the roof rails release
themselves from the windscreen frame (stages 4 and 5), folding into a Z
shape and retracting into position. The integrated sunroof and the rear
section of the hardtop roof are drawn completely back, the roof rails
are led into the available cavities (and covered) adjacent to the rear
side windows. Sound complicated? It is complicated. But it functions
perfectly and looks great.
Because the roof rails do not move vertically, but only horizontally,
and because the sandwich unit is so compact, not a lot of upward room is
needed to draw the hardtop up or down, thereby allowing roof conversion
to function even in low-ceilinged spaces.
Around 400 litres of stowage space and room for skis. Because the
hardtop roof folds away so compactly, there is plenty of room left in
the boot even when the roof is down (approx. 200 litres). When the roof
is up, stowage space is increased to around 400 litres. A tunnel which
passes through the rear bench and the bulkhead also enables the
transportation of skis or other, similarly lengthy, items.
Design: The shape of
things to come
A perfect figure. Compact-type cabriolets
can tend to look thin and disproportionately high (especially when the
roof is up), given the dimensions taken from the mass-series derivates
on which they are modelled. While the larger-sized cabriolets don't have
this figure problem, they also do not have much appeal if you like an
athletic, compact look and a coupé-like style when the roof is up.
There is another sore spot to most cabriolets, especially when it comes
to compact-type versions, and that is that the majority of them are
originally modelled on the typical cab-forward design, so that the
A-pillar and its transverse beams extend a long way into the interior of
the vehicle, causing almost a tickling sensation to the forehead as the
frame of the windscreen hovers menacingly close. All these problem areas
were effectively dealt with in the concept C. This vehicle is not
founded on an existing basic model, but was newly developed as a
cabriolet in its very own right.
Which is why Volkswagen's cabriolet design study has a number of
constructional advantages. These are merits which are perceivable even
in the design - from whichever perspective you look at the car.
A fusion of tradition and progress. The concept C's sporty and powerful
architecture and the principles employed to design its contours produce
a very concrete outlook on the new design for future Volkswagen
automobiles. By the same token, however, the concept C is but a new
chapter in a long and successful tradition of cabriolets: including the
legendary Beetle Cabriolet, which achieved cult status around the world,
or the more rationally designed Golf Cabriolet, one of the most
successful of all convertibles. The most recent in the series of
Volkswagen convertibles, today's New Beetle Cabriolet, is characterised
by a combination of emotional and functional attributes. It is on this
foundation of successful tradition that the concept C was designed.
The front end. The concept C features a radiator grille of unmistakable
design (first featured in the roadster design study - the concept R -
and, in this case, made of aluminium). Combined with striking round
headlights, this feature forms the new "face” of the front end,
variations of which will adorn many other Volkswagen models in future.
The versatility of the headlights as an individual style feature in
different vehicles is aptly demonstrated when one compares the concept R
and the concept C. Although the formal parameters applied to both are
the same, simply changing the proportions and the positioning of the
various elements helps to create a look very specific to the individual
vehicle.
Another feature which is common to both these new Volkswagen cars is the
slight slant of the bonnet over the headlights, which creates the
impression of "eyebrows”. This is a stylistic attribute first introduced
in the premium-class Phaeton.
The positioning of the headlights and radiator grille has also
substantially influenced the modulation of the concept C's bonnet, with
the V-contour of the grille reproduced in a wide depression on the
bonnet. The sides of the bonnet along these V-contours are raised to a
slight curve, giving this cabriolet distinctly contoured wings and
wheelhouses. The result is an exquisitely muscular-looking shoulder
section. This robust look is further accentuated by protruding wheel
arches and the treads already described above.
The rear end. The rear section of this design study is similarly
athletic, with the wings gently curving up over the wheelhouses, which
is why the aerodynamically fashioned edge of the boot lid is embedded
between the wings. This particular feature alone already produces a
dynamic effect.
The silhouette. Regardless of whether the roof of the concept C is up or
down, the vehicle's side silhouette is determined chiefly by the tapered
design of its rear end. Other particularly conspicuous features are the
joints running along the vehicle's side and the fact that both the
bonnet and the boot lid reach all the way down into the wings. The line
dividing the bonnet and the front wings extends quasi seamlessly into
the line marking the lower edge of the side windows. The rear one of
these lid joints (i.e. the material demarcation between the boot lid and
the wings) extends the sweep of the side window in a dynamic contrary
motion. Even when the roof is up, the interplay of all the forms visible
at the side of the vehicle produces an extremely elegant, aesthetically
appealing contour.
When it is down, a side view of the concept C reveals all the
charismatic charm of a classic cabriolet. Convention was not at play in
the homogeneous design of the windscreen frame (a stand-alone element in
its own right), which, as already described, because it does not extend
all too far into the interior, affords vehicle occupants unadulterated
open-air-driving pleasure.
Moreover, the A-pillars connect with the closed roof to form a flowing
window curvature. This is by no means a design element which can be
taken for granted, since the folding steel roof, with the curves running
along its sides and the elegantly incorporated rear windscreen,
certainly does not look like a stack-mounted hardtop roof. Instead, it
conveys the look of flowing contours reminiscent of a high-class coupé.
