Walter De Silva, director of design for the Volkswagen Group, is Italian. So we can't really blame him for wanting to drop into his native tongue to describe the new Volkswagen Concept Bluesport at today's world premiere. It sounded quite nice, actually. The fact that we only understood every eighth word or so didn't matter, as this isn't a car that needs much explanation.
The Concept Bluesport is your basic compact roadster. It's built on a rear-wheel-drive platform and powered by a mid-mounted 2.0-liter clean diesel engine. Its classic proportions might look familiar, as they're within an inch of the Mazda MX-5 Miata in terms of length, width and height.
At around 2,600 pounds, the Bluesport is slightly heavier than the MX-5, but the extra weight shouldn't be too much of a problem. It's almost evenly distributed (45:55 front to rear) and there's a healthy 177 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque available from the four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. With the help of a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, Volkswagen says the Concept Bluesport will go from zero to 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and hit a top speed of 140 mph.
It all sounds so basic, and judging by the looks of the concept, it's all very buildable, too. The only real roadblock could be its low volume segment, as it doesn't exactly guarantee big profits. Mazda only sold roughly 11,000 MX-5s last year, so making a business case will not be easy. Although judging by the enthusiasm behind Mr. de Silva's presentation, Volkswagen is going to try hard to find a way to make it happen. -- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
huyracing says:
07:49 PM, 01/11/09
its nice, but it leaves me wishing it were a hardtop. forget making a convertible and the weight will be just fine. i swear if you listed any of the sporty RWD roadsters out there, i can say that i would've bought one if it were a hardtop.
stovt001 says:
09:32 PM, 01/11/09
I like it. If it is affordable enough (competitive with Miata) and comes with the GTI's powertrain, it will definitely be on my list.
arm51 says:
06:38 AM, 01/12/09
It'd be great, I just hope they offer it with a stick as well as DSG.
dougtheeng says:
07:14 AM, 01/12/09
I'm a fan.
sabastian says:
07:22 AM, 01/12/09
Looks good, but first, VW, we want the Sirocco.
johnsha says:
08:12 AM, 01/12/09
How does this not cannibalize the Porsche Boxter, Audi TT and VW Eos.
minibro77 says:
08:27 AM, 01/12/09
Me likey!
jederino says:
06:04 PM, 01/12/09
Huyracing,
Amen to that - give me a hardtop! I want the safety, rigidity, look, protection from sun and rain and noise that a roof provides. I want a sporting RWD coupe!
JNesmit says:
11:54 PM, 01/12/09
As far as the hardtop is concerned, VW needed to make the vehicle lightweight and therefore kept the softtop.
This vehicle's goal is to maximize performance with minimal fuel consumption. Just like with any vehicle, you have to consider the give and take to make that happen.
As far as cannobolizing the Porsche, Audi, or VW Eos, this vehicle gets about 40% better gas consumption than all of those vehicles. This vehicle also would only be in the same price class as the EOS...which is a four-seater hard top, not in the same class.
rick8365 says:
10:28 AM, 01/13/09
I like too. I don't want to nitpick but one neg does cross my mind....part of enjoying a car like this is leaving the audio off and enjoying a well tuned exhaust note. I really dig diesels but how would the exhaust sound?
firstwagon says:
02:03 PM, 01/13/09
"Amen to that - give me a hardtop! I want the safety, rigidity, look, protection from sun and rain and noise that a roof provides. I want a sporting RWD coupe!"
Not me, must be more then 95% of cars on the road are hardtops.... we need more convertibles!!!
I'm sick of being enclosed in a "it's for your own protection" cage. There's nothing better then whipping along outdoors in a good convertible.
Make a 2.0T engine standard (diesel optional) engine and keep that price equal to the Miata and they could have a winner.