Volkswagen Names New Coupe-Convertible Eos

Bit by bit, Volkswagen has been releasing tidbits of information concerning its latest car, what the world has come to know as the Concept C. Many consider this VWs long-awaited return to the sports car and convertible market, despite the fact that the iconic German brand builds many three-door hatchbacks, including a few performance iterations as well as the retro-themed New Beetle Cabrio.

Still, the Eos, what Volkswagen has named its production Concept C, is a much more serious car than anything currently within the VW lineup. It has been designed, engineered and will be built separately as a convertible, ensuring that no short cuts or corners were taken. Oh, did I forget to mention its a stunner?

The Eos continues Volkswagens new naming tangent that breaks away from winds (Vento, Bora, Passat) and tribes (Touareg, Beduin), for something with a little more mystery - Greek Gods. Like the Phaeton luxury sedan, named after the great chariot pilot, Eos is an important mythical character, believed to rise from the sea in her chariot and bring her people daylight every morning. Eos is also the mother of wind, and of the evening and morning star. According to Volkswagen the name, "evokes associations with an idealized cabriolet driving situation in the early minutes of a summer day." It also rates high for marketability: VW also chose the name as its short, simple and easy to pronounce in all markets.

As the production-ready version of the Concept C, the Eos has maintained much of the prototypes beauty. Many liken it to a two-door Jetta, but VW has done some significant work to show that this vehicle was designed and engineered separately. The nose bears the chromed VW shield, however, unlike the Jetta, the VW badge is smaller, and does not cut into the hood resulting in a more graceful appearance. The large headlamps feature a teardrop shape like the Concept C and new Passat. Around back, the trunk lid is smaller than the Jetta, and doesnt feature the concave styling which new Volkswagens have, but the cool LED tail lamps remain, with red bezels surrounding the clear center pieces.

It will ride on the hybrid platform between the PQ35 (Golf/Jetta) and the PQ46 (Passat) called the PQ45, which will also underpin a compact SUV (Beduin), and a sporty five-door coupe akin to the Mercedes-Benz CLS (Corrado). This combination places the track and body width on the larger PQ46 platform with the shorter wheelbase and dimensions of the PQ35 platform. This layout is suitable for the Eos as its wider track will provide better road-holding abilities. Component sharing will be key to the Eos reasonable price, sharing the MacPherson strut, multi-link layout and electromechanical power steering systems of other mainstream VWs.

Volkswagen is keen to stress that the Eos isnt just a two-door Jetta by making it known that it can accept any of the Passats powertrain components. This in itself is slightly misleading, considering that the Passat uses the same front end as the smaller VWs. Regardless, everything from the 1.6-liter 115-horsepower FSI inline-four to the 2.0-liter North American models will probably reflect the Passats range, which means that the 200-horsepower 2.0T FSI engine, a 250-horsepower 3.2L or 280-horsepower 3.6L V(R)6 FSI engine will be on the bill, with a choice of six-speed manual, automatic or DSG transmission. s

In many ways, you can think of the Eos as being VWs version of the Mercedes-Benz CLK, grouping in the larger E-Class styling with the smaller C-Class components to create a new mid-range coupe.

The Eos roof is a new variation on the folding hardtop. Like the Concept C, insiders and spy photos have confirmed that the roof has three pieces, and is made of metal with glass panels to allow light in and create a sense of airiness. The movement of the roof is also unique, being that the first panel (closest to the A-Pillar) slides under the second panel (above the passengers), the two of which then slide under the third panel (rear pillars), before hiding away under the trunk lid.

Volkswagen is also aiming to strike for better practicality with the Eos; reports peg cargo capacity at 14.1 cubic feet when the roof is up and 7.1 cubic feet when its down. Generous interior space is also promised.

As was announced early last year, VW has chosen a production facility for the Eos, but its not in Germany, nor is it in Mexico. Instead, these coupe-convertibles will be put together in VWs Portuguese assembly plant, the current home of the VW Sharan and Seat Alhambra minivans.

The car will make its official debut in less than two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but the real question that everyone is asking is when it will be available for sale. While Europe will probably have the Eos by the end of this year, well have to wait until next May before this gorgeous VW hits our showrooms.