Volkswagen unveils a Cabrio version of the Golf MKVI at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show
One more we won’t get

Here at LotPro.com, we’re always complaining about the fact that American car manufacturers that have operations over in Europe never seem to bring their best small cars over here. But in all fairness, the same holds true for German manufacturer Volkswagen.

Over in Europe, VW is a full-line manufacturer, marketing everything from the Fox city car to a large minivan called the Sharan – neither of which is sold here. Other models we may never see include the B-segment Polo and its off road variant the CrossPolo, the Golf-based Scirocco coupe, a small MPV called the Golf Plus and its off-road version called the CrossGolf, and a slightly larger compact MPV called the Touran.

VW also still sells the Phaeton over there, but we won’t even get into that one since, in our opinion, the company should’ve given the go sign to a production version of the original Microbus Concept instead of its ill-advised attempt to go up-market with the “P”.
2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet

Having gotten that off our chests, we can move on.

We haven’t seen a new one here since 2002, because the Golf Cabriolet was supplanted in mid-2003 by the New Beetle Convertible. The newest version of the Golf drop top was unveiled last week in Geneva, with styling that follows that of the current generation hardtop 3-door Golf.

Equipped with a handsome electro-hydraulically operated soft top, the latest Cabrio eschews the previous-gens B-pillar roll bar for a hidden one that automatically deploys in the event of a rollover.
In addition to the lack of a fixed roof, other noteworthy items that differentiate it from more plebian Golfs include a more acutely swept windshield, a new rear section, and LED rear lights similar to those found on the GTI.

In all, six turbocharged direct-injected engines, five gas and one diesel, will be offered. The most parsimonious of the six, a 1.6-liter TDI with 103.5 horsepower and VW’s BlueMotion Technology, delivers 53.5 miles per gallon on the highway.