And the best-selling convertible heading into summer is...
Sun, 09 Jun 2013
With summer quickly approaching, we're eagerly awaiting some seat time in our favorite droptop models, cars that allow us to take in the sunshine and the warm air afforded by the summer months – especially for those of us who reside in states with bitterly cold winters. And while many Autoblog team members are already happy convertible owners (fun fact: three of us own Mazda Miatas, and there's even a Saab 9-3 Viggen droptop looming in the AB personal fleet), new sales data shows that the best-selling 'vert through May of this year is the 2013 Volkswagen Beetle Convertible – the topless version of the second-generation
According to Volkswagen, roughly 6,500 Beetle Convertible models have been sold in the first five months of this year. Behind the Vee-Dub are the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible with around 5,500 units sold and the Chrysler 200 Convertible with around 5,400 models sold. For comparison, Volkswagen has only sold a little more than 2,000 examples of its other droptop model, the Eos.
Volkswagen offers its Beetle Convertible in a wide variety of trims, including special '50s, '60s and '70s editions. The German automaker also offers three different engine options for US customers, including our market's one-and-only diesel convertible. Scroll down for more information in VW's press blast.
Beetle Convertible is on a roll - and not just in Alaska
As summer beckons, the Beetle Convertible is on a roll, with a fetching new commercial and the year-to-date sales leadership among all convertible models in the U.S. market.
With top-down season upon us, sales data confirms that the Beetle Convertible enjoyed a comfortable lead in U.S. sales through May, with nearly 6,500 units sold compared with about 5,500 sales of the second-place model, the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, and 5,400 for the third-place model, the Chrysler 200 Convertible.
And the relative performance of the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible seems to be improving as summer gets closer: With sales of more than 2,000 units in May, the car more than doubled sales of the next-best-selling convertible competitor, the Camaro, which sold only about 1,000 units in the month.
Maybe it's the commercials as well as the arrival of summer weather. In the wake of the tremendous popularity of its Beetle Convertible ad depicting a "holdup" at a convenience store, VW has released online a commercial featuring the midnight sun in Alaska.
In the spot produced by Volkswagen along with its ad agency, Deutsch, a young woman is awakened in the wee hours by her boyfriend, who's standing next to a Beetle Convertible out in the street. It's 1:43 a.m. and sunny, so something is obviously skewed.
And as they drive around town in the Beetle, with the sun in full blaze, the streets are deserted. A cop is asleep. An elk is standing in the middle of the business district. And then the twist becomes apparent as they drive out of town past a sign that says "Fairbanks, Alaska. Land of the Midnight Sun."
By Steven J. Ewing