I’m not going to pretend to be excited about the prospect of a convertible Volkswagen ID.3, something teased by VW Group chairman, Herbert Diess, on Twitter in the form of a bright, pseudo-impressionistic render. “We‘re thinking about an e-convertible,” Diess writes, describing it with adjectives like “quiet,” “smooth” and “open” before asking followers what they think.
His colleague, Volkswagen passenger car CEO Ralf Brandstätter, teased the same possibility on LinkedIn of all places, saying that the company is “pondering how to turn this attractive concept into reality.” Though, you get the impression that if the car’s already being teased, it’s probably already been green-lit.
I’ll give Volkswagen some credit in that it’s historically been a reliable source for fun, funky convertibles that aren’t about performance so much as inexpensive, accessible ways to get the wind in your hair. Now that the Beetle is no longer in production, there’s been a recent convertible gap in the automaker’s lineup. But until then, for many years, you could go for an open-top Beetle or the Eos. If you’re in Europe, you can even get a cabriolet version of its high-riding crossover, the T-Roc.
So naturally, it’s in the company’s DNA to bring this formula to its upcoming slew of EVs. The convertible ID.3 pictured looks like a modernization of the old Golf Cabrio, a car that I honestly don’t think about often.
Hell, the metallic turquoise it’s rendered in is a dead-ringer for a shade I’m having a hard time proving the Golf Cabrio came in, though I deeply feel it to be true. When I picture a Golf Cabrio in my head, it’s a third-generation model in either turquoise or yellow. It must have come in turquoise, right? Am I alone in recalling this, or is this a case of the automotive Mandela Effect?
Anyway, this is all in Volkswagen’s wheelhouse and it’s probably a safe bet to expect a convertible ID.3 at some point in the next couple of years. And it might make for a nice aside from other EVs, which tend to be either cookie-cutter crossovers (read: hatchbacks with slightly more ground clearance) or uber-expensive luxury sedans with coupe rooflines. Superminis are becoming increasingly less feasible from a business standpoint, thanks to small profit margins and restrictive emissions laws. Given all that, an ID.3 Cabrio would bring a bit of levity and variety to the mix, alongside the ID.Buzz van.
This is the benefit of a super-modular architecture like Volkswagen’s MEB platform: Differing body styles produced with less investment than might ordinarily be necessary. I don’t need it, but I’ll take it.