New signing from Osnabrück – the T-Roc Cabriolet

What makes spring the best of seasons? Having the soft top down and cruising leisurely through the countryside, of course. A host of Volkswagen models have had their top down for more than 70 years, and many of these were developed and produced in Osnabrück, a site that specialises in producing convertibles. The same is true of the new T-Roc Cabriolet, currently Volkswagen’s only convertible, which has recently started rolling off the site’s production lines as the latest model in a rich history of successful Volkswagen convertibles.

The T-Roc Cabriolet backed by one of the city of Osnabrück’s landmarks: the town hall, famous for its role in the Peace of Westphalia.

1979 Volkswagen 1303 Cabriolet – one of the last Beetle Cabriolets ever produced.

This is where Volkswagen’s convertible history began. In 1913, Wilhelm Karmann, the pioneer of convertible and coupé series production, registered a patent for a mechanism for folding soft tops that would go on to revolutionise convertible production. Karmann not only developed the Beetle Cabriolet and built around 332,000 of these iconic Volkswagen soft-top vehicles between 1949 and 1980, the entrepreneur also made this site the home of what German Gute Fahrt magazine in 1955 described as “one of the most beautiful vehicles in the world” – the Karmann Ghia, a sporty coupé built on the same chassis as the Beetle.

“Not without a roll bar!”

The story of the “strawberry punnet” is also worth recounting! It was a convertible based on the Golf Mk 1 featuring a “handle”. Karmann had initially developed the vehicle without a fixed roll bar and this is exactly how he presented it to Volkswagen’s then Head of Development, Ernst Fiala, in 1976. “Not without a roll bar!”, was Fiala’s resolute response, and that is how the Golf Cabriolet ended up with its striking roll bar – for safety reasons. The Golf Cabriolet also set benchmarks in terms of safety and convenience in the emerging convertible segment at the time, thanks to elements including its padded, waterproof soft top. And lo and behold, it went on to become the world’s most frequently produced convertible – 388,525 units were produced until 1993. A further 200,000 units of its direct successor (Golf Mk 3) rolled off the production lines until 2001.

Karmann remained a world-renowned convertible producer for many years. However, the company eventually fell victim to the worldwide drop in convertible sales and was forced it into administration in April 2009 due to a lack of orders. Volkswagen purchased the Karmann factory site, took control of individual divisions and integrated the company into the Group as Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH.

The T-Roc Cabriolet outside the Volkswagen plant in Osnabrück.

“From a single source” – development and production at the Osnabrück site

Volkswagen Osnabrück GmbH covers the entire automotive value chain, from technical development to system design, toolmaking and automotive engineering. The site can fully develop and produce vehicles from the very first brush stroke to the finished car. Thanks to the new T-Roc Cabriolet, Volkswagen Osnabrück is now producing the Volkswagen brand’s only convertible, thus providing an unbroken link to 70 years of convertible history and expertise at the Osnabrück plant.

Volkswagen’s new T-Roc Cabriolet brings the open-top vehicle design to the SUV segment for the first time – a segment which is currently experiencing particularly strong growth. Up-to-date technical features are designed to guarantee maximum safety – a roll-over protection system extends from behind the rear seats within a split second as soon as the vehicle exceeds a certain lateral acceleration or vehicle angle. The windscreen frame has extra reinforcement while the underbody, side panels, cross members and doors have all been modified.

Soft top is the key feature

There is one detail that has remained a constant from Beetle to Golf and T-Roc Cabriolet – the traditional soft top. In Volkswagen’s most recent model it opens in just nine seconds (and closes in eleven) at the push of a button – even when travelling at speeds of up to 30 km/h.

The soft top is installed at the Osnabrück factory, making it one of the most important production sites for the T-Roc Cabriolet. It takes just a few minutes for the employees to position and fit it to the completed vehicle body. Quality is paramount along the entire production line, including at the stations just before checkpoint eight, the last production point. This is where production workers measure axles and wheels and also test the electronics and mechanical systems, brakes, running gear and the engine.

Downpour in the rain tunnel

Vehicles then face a real trial –the leak test. This is conducted in a rain tunnel that simulates a heavy downpour. The T-Roc Cabriolet is subjected to these conditions from all sides for around ten minutes before a detailed inspection is carried out to check for any water ingress.

The T-Roc Cabriolet is a “true child of the site – it reflects the cumulative experience and expertise of the Osnabrück plant”, to quote Volkswagen Brand Board of Management Member for Production, Andreas Tostmann, during the production launch at the plant in December 2019. Osnabrück has been one of the world’s foremost convertible production sites for almost 75 years, and is now marking the dawn of a new era with the new T-Roc Cabriolet – just in time for the new convertible season.