Welcome to 2024, where the best-selling convertible is a crossover.
The Peugeot 207 CC, Ford Focus CC, Golf Cabriolet. Astra TwinTop. Who still remembers them? About 15 to 20 years ago, most brands had a convertible in their range. That selection became increasingly scarce. In 2024, shopping for a new convertible is no easy task.
Especially in the lower segment, it is searching with a magnifying glass. Because supercars, such as the McLaren Artura Spider or a Ferrari 296 GTS, are still offered in many forms as convertibles or roadsters. How different is that with the average cars.
Best-selling convertible in the first half of 2024
In that respect, this remarkable news item may not be so remarkable at all. Automotive News reports, based on figures from Dataforce, that the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet is the best-selling convertible in Europe in the category ‘best-selling mainstream convertible’. In the first six months of this year, the brand sold 6,110 units of this model in Europe. No other convertible did better.
Compared to last year, the model did perform slightly less well. In the first half of 2023, VW sold 22.7 percent more units of the T-Roc Cabriolet compared to the same period this year.
Consider that Mazda sold just 3,545 units of the MX-5 in the first six months of this year. Good for second place, but well behind the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet. Kind of bizarre actually. A roadster par excellence loses out to the crazy thing called the T-Roc Cabriolet.
There you have it. Car enthusiasts are the dinosaurs of new car sales. The average new convertible buyer is apparently charmed by an open crossover. Where the Evoque Cabriolet never became a huge success, Volkswagen has managed to create a popular product with the T-Roc Cabriolet.
For the sake of completeness, let’s also include the premium boys, so not just the category best-selling mainstream convertible. In the premium segment, the MINI Cabrio is in first place with 11,140 sales. In second place, the Porsche 911 Cabrio with 5,784 sales. And in third place, the BMW 4 Series Cabrio with 4,714 sales.
Comments
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racehorse say
If you are used to the driving qualities of a high car, the step to this monstrosity has become smaller. Taste is not for sale.
Buy an MX-5 or 124 Spider for 25k and you’ll remember what you’ve been missing.
