Where have all the convertibles gone!?
Discussion
Someone said to me recently that Audi no longer sell convertibles. 'Well that's nonsense' I thought, Audi have a rich and successful heritage of convertibles, A3, A4, A5, TT, R8. Loads of them out there.
Just checked - not a single one in the current Audi range!
And neither have Jaguar!
Just checked - not a single one in the current Audi range!
And neither have Jaguar!
Cupramax said:
I’m hoping the new A5 will spurn a new Cabriolet eventually. I’m a long term cab owner having had an A4 (are you the same poster from Tyresmoke?) an A5 and still have an S5 which is now approaching 10 but still going strong touch wood.
I am, yes. Hence astonished that Audi has abandoned a sector that it was once so strong in, not just the A4, A5 etc, but prior to the the Audi 80 based Cabriolet, dating back into the nineties, maybe even the eighties? Is Tyresmoke still going, by the way? Was a great forum once, before the 'management' started believing their own bulls
t. 
ambuletz said:
on a related note, where have all the sunroofs gone? as a kid of the 90s it was a big feature. now people don't bother with them. just makes the interior feel bright and airy. Sometimes its nicer having the sunroof open than the windows.
Lots of cars have pan roofs, bigger and better than a sunroof. It does feel like car manufacturers have removed the fun factor and replaced it with a hideous crossover of some sort.
It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
Spudgunassassin said:
It does feel like car manufacturers have removed the fun factor and replaced it with a hideous crossover of some sort.
It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
As are small coupes, agin being replaced with crossovers. It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
Spudgunassassin said:
It does feel like car manufacturers have removed the fun factor and replaced it with a hideous crossover of some sort.
It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
If people bought them, the manufacturers would sell convertibles and hot hatches. Now most people only seem to want to own a big two ton SUVs. It’s not just cabriolets that have disappeared but worryingly hot hatches seem to be dwindling from manufacturer’s line up.
Currently there is nothing new out there I desire to own.
I have always thought it odd that people would buy a convertible in the UK when the weather is terrible from October to May.
The roads are in a terrible state and the sheer number of speed cameras and 20 MPH zones mean there is no point owning a fast car.
I just think people want to be in the biggest, most comfortable car possible and coccooned from the outside world. Also whereas having a convertible was seen as a prestige thing, it is big expensive SUVs that people think give the image of doing well in life.
1 There's plenty of decent days , even in winter when the full sensurround experience of a drop top can be enjoyed. And if the weather changes ,my car's hood goes up in about 2 seconds .
2 Awful roads - in places , maybe , but apart from the odd wrinkle and deterioration , my local roads are largely fine. (It seems compulsory to say that every road is punctuated with tank trap sized pot holes but although I've seen some iffy roads recently (especially in Cheshire - all those footballers' wives in SUVs?) it isn't awful everywhere). Roads too busy ? Hardly - I'm sure it can be hell in the SE but that is one reason I don't live there.
3 Speed cameras ? Apart from the odd mobile one I never see any . 20limits ? I don't miss the high speed visceral thrill of doing ...err...30 mph in built up areas and 20 limits don't bother me . Fun driving takes place away from where people live .
2 Awful roads - in places , maybe , but apart from the odd wrinkle and deterioration , my local roads are largely fine. (It seems compulsory to say that every road is punctuated with tank trap sized pot holes but although I've seen some iffy roads recently (especially in Cheshire - all those footballers' wives in SUVs?) it isn't awful everywhere). Roads too busy ? Hardly - I'm sure it can be hell in the SE but that is one reason I don't live there.
3 Speed cameras ? Apart from the odd mobile one I never see any . 20limits ? I don't miss the high speed visceral thrill of doing ...err...30 mph in built up areas and 20 limits don't bother me . Fun driving takes place away from where people live .
If consumers hadn't started buying SUVs/Crossovers in preference to just about everything else, manufactures would have had no vested interest in pushing them further in that direction. It is obviously an advantage to a manufacturer to have fewer models if they can do so whilst still selling as many cars, but they are going to pick which models to produce, and hence push in their marketing, based on the combination of what the majority want, and what the minority are willing to accept.
Even before manufacturers mostly stopped selling them, convertibles were hardly a common sight outside of a few relatively niche models.
Even before manufacturers mostly stopped selling them, convertibles were hardly a common sight outside of a few relatively niche models.
Edited by kambites on Monday 12th August 07:32
ambuletz said:
on a related note, where have all the sunroofs gone? as a kid of the 90s it was a big feature. now people don't bother with them. just makes the interior feel bright and airy. Sometimes its nicer having the sunroof open than the windows.
On that front I think the shift has been to the panoramic glass roof, most don't open (or if they do people don't use them), but the whole roof length in glass is quite common, and lovely.Krikkit said:
ambuletz said:
on a related note, where have all the sunroofs gone? as a kid of the 90s it was a big feature. now people don't bother with them. just makes the interior feel bright and airy. Sometimes its nicer having the sunroof open than the windows.
On that front I think the shift has been to the panoramic glass roof, most don't open (or if they do people don't use them), but the whole roof length in glass is quite common, and lovely.Once you have AC it's a bit pointless. I know (from that thread) that there is still a significant minority of fresh (well, exterior-sourced) air lovers there, but I suspect I'm in the majority in terms of bottoming up once the AC is on-song. And you don't need to remove 100% of demand to effectively kill a market.
ThingsBehindTheSun said:
If people bought them, the manufacturers would sell convertibles and hot hatches. Now most people only seem to want to own a big two ton SUVs.
I have always thought it odd that people would buy a convertible in the UK when the weather is terrible from October to May.
The roads are in a terrible state and the sheer number of speed cameras and 20 MPH zones mean there is no point owning a fast car.
I just think people want to be in the biggest, most comfortable car possible and coccooned from the outside world. Also whereas having a convertible was seen as a prestige thing, it is big expensive SUVs that people think give the image of doing well in life.
Those sound like reasons why you don't have/want a convertible. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the country not everyone shares your opinion or experience.I have always thought it odd that people would buy a convertible in the UK when the weather is terrible from October to May.
The roads are in a terrible state and the sheer number of speed cameras and 20 MPH zones mean there is no point owning a fast car.
I just think people want to be in the biggest, most comfortable car possible and coccooned from the outside world. Also whereas having a convertible was seen as a prestige thing, it is big expensive SUVs that people think give the image of doing well in life.
I do agree with your final point though...
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