The new Volkswagen Cabriolet-Coupe is to be called Eos

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.

Technology: A revolutionary hardtop system

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.

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