The convertible is one of the most emotional car categories. Its disappearance, however, arouses little emotion.
The convertible is slowly disappearing from the model ranges of the manufacturers and thus more and more from the street. Very few Germans feel that this is a loss, as a survey by the “Automobilwoche” magazine and the Civey Institute shows. Only around 29 percent rate it as a shame that manufacturers are thinning out their offerings. On the other hand, 46 percent answer in the negative. There are also 25 percent undecided.
Younger drivers in particular don't cry tears after the convertible. In the group of 18 to 29 year olds, almost 50 percent do not see the dwindling supply as a loss. There is also little sadness among women, 47 percent
Last year, according to the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), almost 54.000 convertibles were newly registered throughout Germany, the most popular model was the open Mini with almost 8.000 units, followed by the VW T-Roc Cabrio with around 7.000 new registrations. At the end of the last decade, the number of annual new convertible registrations was still in the six-digit range. In 2008, for example, the KBA registered 131.329 new topless cars. The slow decline in convertible registrations is not a German phenomenon. For years, the segment has struggled with falling demand and supply around the world.
In this country, too, fewer and fewer convertible models are being offered. For example, VW has taken the open Beetle out of its range; the Golf convertible has not been around since 2016. And with many other manufacturers, too, the convertible versions were no longer available at the latest when the model was changed - Opel, for example, no longer has an open model in its range after the end of the Cascada. Only the premium and luxury manufacturers can still afford corresponding models, and the range in the sports car class remains relatively constant.