Photo: Theophilus Chin
Are people buying the Range Rover Evoque Convertible? We hope not. It's extremely heavy and slow for a compact car. Yet we have a suspicion that it's only the beginning of something, as more automakers will give their jacked-up hatchbacks a fabric roof. Could MINI be the next one? No, we think it will come from the VW Group.
Even though Martin Winterkorn is no longer the CEO, his aggressive targeting of new niches seems to continue.
At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, we got not one but two previews of what can be done with the MQB platform at the bottom end of the scale. Audi came out with a production crossover called the Q2, which is a direct rival to the Nissan Juke, while Volkswagen presented a similarly sized T-Cross Breeze.
As you may have heard already, the concept is a 2-door convertible and the preview for a "Polo SUV" at the same time. Mix the two vehicles together and you end up with the subject of our story, the Q2 Cabriolet. This stretch of the imagination belongs to Theophilus Chin.
Going from a 4-door to a 2-door body adds much needed structural rigidity and reduces the overall weight by a small fraction. Building such a vehicle is well within the capabilities of the VW Group, as the MQB platform already underpins two soft-top models, the A3 and TT.
From an engineering perspective, such a vehicle makes no sense at all. The windshield frame needs to be strengthened, yet it will never behave as well as that of a regular car in the event of a crash. Also, installing scanners and sensors there is more difficult. Rolling over is unlikely with a MINI Cooper S Cabrio, yet a taller crossover is prone to it.
The engine range will also have to be restricted, as the basic units available on the Q2 won't be able to cope with a car that weighs roughly 1.5 tons. Looking into our crystal ball, we see that the "Golf SUV" previewed by the T-ROC may be the first convertible. The Q2 may follow down the same path in about six years.
At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, we got not one but two previews of what can be done with the MQB platform at the bottom end of the scale. Audi came out with a production crossover called the Q2, which is a direct rival to the Nissan Juke, while Volkswagen presented a similarly sized T-Cross Breeze.
As you may have heard already, the concept is a 2-door convertible and the preview for a "Polo SUV" at the same time. Mix the two vehicles together and you end up with the subject of our story, the Q2 Cabriolet. This stretch of the imagination belongs to Theophilus Chin.
Going from a 4-door to a 2-door body adds much needed structural rigidity and reduces the overall weight by a small fraction. Building such a vehicle is well within the capabilities of the VW Group, as the MQB platform already underpins two soft-top models, the A3 and TT.
From an engineering perspective, such a vehicle makes no sense at all. The windshield frame needs to be strengthened, yet it will never behave as well as that of a regular car in the event of a crash. Also, installing scanners and sensors there is more difficult. Rolling over is unlikely with a MINI Cooper S Cabrio, yet a taller crossover is prone to it.
The engine range will also have to be restricted, as the basic units available on the Q2 won't be able to cope with a car that weighs roughly 1.5 tons. Looking into our crystal ball, we see that the "Golf SUV" previewed by the T-ROC may be the first convertible. The Q2 may follow down the same path in about six years.
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