Everyone remembers the bright green Volkswagen IROC Concept from last year. It ROC(k)ed our world with its bulging muscular fenders and sweeping roofline, making us long for the moment when the Scirocco successor would finally land back in a VW showroom.
Then it was announced that it wouldn't be coming to the States. It was too close in mission and execution to the GTI and dealers didn't want it cannibalizing sales of the sporty hatch. We were crushed. But, shortly after, rumors began swirling around the internet that Volkswagen's Martin Winterkorn and other decision-makers at the company would be the ones to decide and it may arrive stateside after all - most likely after the 2008 Geneva Auto Show.
Now, it's being reported that the test mule Scirocco you see here (caught testing in the United States), is in fact going to be for Europe only - and what's more, those lucky folks will be getting it for the 2009 model year. So we throw our hands up. Who can tell anymore? All we know is that our hearts cannot take this emotion tug-a-war any longer.
So let us just report what we know: though the heavy camouflage, we can tell that the coupe-like hatch will stay faithful to the IROC Concept car in looks and be based on the current Rabbit/Golf platform. Power will come from the familiar 2.0-liter turbo four cylinder engine found in the GTI, attached to either a six-speed manual transmission or DSG gearbox. The VR6 engine and 4motion are possibilities. Stay tuned in the upcoming months as we continue to cover the development of the Scirocco and its expected debut at the Geneva Auto Show this next season.
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