Geneva 2016: Volkswagen shows T-Cross Breeze convertible SUV

To this end, Volkswagen rolled out the T-Cross Breeze concept at the Geneva motor show on Tuesday: a four-seat convertible crossover that is a couple of sizes smaller than the Evoque cabrio. It’s being shown at Geneva as a drop-top – but while this is a clear sign that such a model could exist in the line-up, the regular vehicle is expected to have a conventional fixed roof. The T-Cross Breeze will demonstrate a potential Polo-based SUV to slot into the range at the entry level. And now VW is showing us something remarkably similar in the form of the T-Cross Breeze.

Volkswagen wants to reinvent itself, starting with the introduction of the new T-Cross Breeze concept.

“At the moment the T-Cross Breeze is purely a concept, but we can well imagine putting such a convertible on the market as a production model”, said Dr. Herbert Diess, the chairman of the board of management, Volkswagen Brand. For example, it has a very wide front grille flanked by narrow headlights and comes with large LED rings around the fog lights.

Convertible SUVs haven’t been much of a hit in recent years, between the design crime that was the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet and the inherent contradiction in such a machine. Well, Volkswagen isn’t stopping there as we’ll also see a Golf-sized crossover which will follow the footsteps of the T-Roc concept. The flying mill this time around was caught off guard because it only caught wind of the concept’s name – T-Cross – and had no idea it was actually a cabriolet wearing the “Breeze” moniker. Finished in Summer Green Metallic with a black fabric top, Deep Teal plastic fender/bumper accents and a sandblasted finish on its exposed aluminum elements, the T-Cross Breeze has a long 101.0-inch wheelbase, short overhangs and rides on a 19-inch alloy wheels. The digital instrument cluster aka “Active Info Display” is customizable while on the entertainment front there’s a 300-watt Beats Audio sound system with a subwoofer integrated in the center console.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 1.0L, turbocharged, ~110 horsepower TSI engine mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission. Tipping the scales at 2,756 pounds (1,250 kilograms), the concept will sprint to 62 miles per hour (100 km/h) in 10.3 seconds and go up to 117 miles per hour (188 km/h).