William Maley
Editor/Reporter - CheersandGears.com
February 9, 2012
The Volkswagen BlueSport roadster, the on and off vehicle could be back on. EVO Magazine spoke with with Uli Hackenberg, the head of engineering with Volkswagen. Hackenberg said he’s been frustrated by the low sales predictions.
“dealers are always looking backwards, not forwards… this is particularly the case when a new model is being considered as they don’t have any reference point to guide them, so they look around at the current market and give an estimate based on that,” Hackenberg said.
Hakenberg said that the rise of vehicles like the Toyota GT 86 (Scion FR-S) and Subaru BRZ, alongside the upcoming next-generation Mazda MX-5 shows buyers could be putting money down to buy one. Also, the U.S. dollar is beginning to regain its strength, meaning European vehicles start to look even more competitive.
As a result, Volkswagen is asking their dealers again to gauge demand for a mid-engine convertible. The BlueSport will need to see estimates of at least 50,000 units worldwide in order to get the go-ahead from corporate. Even if it gets the green light, it will take three years for it to appear in the market.
Source: EVO Magazine
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