Recession pulls reins on mid-engined VW
BY MARTON PETTENDY | 18th May 2009
Revealed with great fanfare at the Detroit motor show in January, the Concept BlueSport convertible would have been a direct rival for Mazda’s iconic – and affordable – MX-5 roadster.
“The state we are at right now regarding Concept BlueSport is we are carefully calculating how to earn money with a niche car,” said Volkswagen AG product communications manager Christian Haacke.
“It is a niche product and especially in crisis times like this it will be a challenge to come up with a volume we could require to earn money with it.” Volkswagen Group sales bucked the trend last year to be just 4.8 per cent down worldwide in a global automotive market that declined by 21 per cent year-on-year.
The compact two-seater convertible, which was billed as the sportscar that offers the most driving fun with the least fuel consumption, featured a mid-mounted, common-rail 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine that delivered 132kW and 350Nm of torque to its 19-inch rear wheels.
Thanks to idle-stop and brake energy regeneration systems, however, it was claimed to return as little as 4.3L/100km and CO2 emissions of 113g/km, setting new efficiency standards for a sportscar.
The silver concept features an orange-coloured soft-top that weighed a best-in-class 27kg and an aluminium bonnet and boot that accommodated a total of 182 litres of cargo space – enough to stow luggage for a theoretical touring range of 1150km.
But now it appears to be a victim of the global financial crisis as Volkswagen struggles to make a business case for sub-Scirocco two-door.
“Detroit has shown you that it easy to come out with a tempting concept but the second challenge about it is to earn money with it,” said Mr Haacke.
“That is what we are facing right now, internally of course, and I am sure we will let you know when we’ve advanced in the process of facing the second challenge ... of finishing it.
“With our nine brands I think we have an excellent starting situation to reach this zone of earning money also with a niche product like that.
“Personally I’d be more than looking forward to welcoming you all to a presentation of a car like that, especially since there is nobody else with a mid-engined sportscar in the price range like that.
“The idea of a small two-seater sportscar has been around for a really long time and I hope that the Concept BlueSport will finally make it through the calculators.”