26 Aug 05 16:15
Spy Shot: Volkswagen Eos
The Volkswagen Golf-based coupe-cabriolet, production version of the Concept-C, is to be called Eos. E-what? Eos was the ancient Greek goddess of the dawn, who rose with her chariot to bring the daylight every morning, and the mother of the wind and stars. This follows the naming of the Phaeton - winged chariot-driver - and also, according to Volkswagen, "evokes associations with an idealised cabriolet driving situation, in the early minutes of a summer day... dawn, wind, stars - this all fits in perfectly with driving a fascinating cabriolet." Importantly, the name is also easy to say all over the world, and works in most languages. We'll have to hope that the car doesn't turn out to be a bit of a donkey to drive, otherwise we'll end up calling it the Eeyore...
Volkswagen is keen to stress that the Eos is not simply a coupe-cabriolet Golf (hence its separate name) and that it "was developed as an independent cabriolet-coupe" and that it shares its powertrains (115bhp and 250bhp petrol engines) with the larger Passat. 4car's spy shots show that the Eos will have a folding solid roof with glass panels, rather than a metal retracting device as in its Astra TwinTop, 307 CC and Megane CC rivals, and it promises to have generous luggage and cabin space. More details will be released at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Spy shots: Volkswagen Concept-C Coupe-Cabriolet (Eos)
