Volkswagen Lover: 2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet drops its top for the drive to Geneva

Filed under: Convertible, Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen

2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ladies and gentlemen, the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet has returned. One of the most popular line of convertibles ever made, the Golf Cabrio has been missing from the VW range since the MkIV model was cancelled in 2003. Even so, the most recent Cabrio was simply a MkIII car with a touched-up front end, meaning that the last new Golf Cabrio was actually introduced way back in 1993. This, then, is a bit of a milestone.

What of the Eos, you ask? A fine question. Arguably more closely related to the Jetta in the first place, the Eos will continue alongside the Golf Cabriolet (not to mention the New Beetle convertible, which is due to end production this year before its replacement comes along). The Eos is longer than the Golf Cabrio, though the same wheelbase ensures similar interior dimensions. The Eos also incorporates a retractable hard-top while the new Golf Cabriolet goes the fabric roof route, covering both bases. The Golf's mechanism takes just 9.5 seconds to drop and can be operated at speeds up to 18 miles per hour. With the roof itself acting as tonneau cover, less trunk space is compromised.

A range of six turbocharged, direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines will be offered worldwide, five of them available with dual-clutch transmissions and three with BlueMotion technology.

There's no word on availability for us in the United States, but given the similarity with the Eos and company's strategy vis-a-vis the Scirocco, it's entirely possible this could remain outside our reach like the latter. We'll have a closer look at the Golf Cabriolet when it debuts next week at the Geneva Motor Show, but for now you can check out the images in the gallery below and the details in the press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet