Last month it was reported that VW had decided to cancel plans for the new roadster that would spawn three different models under the VW, Audi and Porsche brands. Well those rumors were false according to a source that spoke with Autocar.
“We have not abandoned plans for a roadster along the lines of the E-tron Spyder,” a source revealed to Autocar. “We have reached a stage where we are moving forward and are now in the process of progressing the business case further, but it won’t go on sale until after the third-generation TT.”
This news means that the mid-engined roadsters are a go. All three roadsters will share a common mid-engined platform with rear-wheel-drive. Although the roadsters will be based on the same platform, they will appeal to different buyers. Each roadster will get its own individual exterior styling. The Audi roadster will take styling cues from the E-tron Spyder concept, the Porsche will borrow cues from the 550 Spyder from the 1950’s and the VW roadster will be close to the BlueSport concept.
In addition to the different exterior and interior styling, the roadsters will also be powered by different engines. The Audi will get the turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder and 2.5L five-cylinder engines. The Porsche version is expected to be powered by a turbocharged 2.0L flat-four engine, while the VW version will stick with more economical engines like the turbocharged 1.4L four-cylinder.
The official launch dates have not been announced, but it’s expected that the roadsters will be released in 2014 or 2015.
Full Story: Autocar and Autocar
