Volkswagen's design chief says he is currently in the process of reinventing the Volkswagen Scirocco, and claims that an entirely new body style is not out of the question for the upcoming fourth-generation model.
Speaking at the New York auto show following the unveiling of the US-spec Golf Mk7, Volkswagen Group head of design Walter de Silva told CarAdvice it was his desire to revolutionise the next Scirocco, which is due to launch around the middle of the decade.
"It must be completely different. Completely," de Silva said.
"We don't want to repeat the body style of the Scirocco, we want to change that."
The lead stylist admitted the new Volkswagen Scirocco was still in the design phase, and said that – while confirmed for production – few specifics of the car had been signed off at this stage.
"At the moment it's only a studio [project]," he said. "It's not defined at the moment.
"We are still working … but we are looking 360 degrees."
De Silva said he was determined to enhance the sportiness of the Volkswagen portfolio with Scirocco – in his words, following the lead of sister brands Audi and Seat.
Despite his desire for change, de Silva refused to give any hints to what form the Scirocco could take if it was to move away from its traditional three-door coupe body style.
Volkswagen launched the original Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed Golf Mk1-based Scirocco (above) in 1974 and followed it up with the second-gen model in 1982. After lying dormant for 16 years, the Scirocco re-emerged in 2008 as a low-slung coupe based on the Golf Mk5 and continues in that form to this day.
While available overseas with a full range of petrol and diesel powerplants, Australia – which received the car belatedly in 2011 – gets only the high-performance Scirocco R variant that is priced from $47,990.
Volkswagen Australia has previously said it has no plans to expand its Scirocco line-up in the model's current lifecycle, but will consider all options when the new model arrives in the coming years.
