Volkswagen has this week announced that its convertible Golf Cabriolet will return in 2011, at the same time signalling the death knell for the Golf 5-based Eos convertible.

The news follows reports from around this time last year that suggested Volkswagen’s purchase of the Karmann brand and its plant at Osnabruck could lead to the Cabrio’s return.

The Golf Cabrio last appeared in the company’s line-up as part of the Golf 3 range, although it benefited from a front-end Golf 4 update in 1999. The Eos, replacing the Cabrio when the fifth-generation Golf arrived, had a similar styling update last month, getting Volkswagen’s new letterbox grille and sharpened headlights.

Volkswagen has offered few details for the new Golf Cabriolet, although it is expected to do away with the folding hardtop of the Eos, returning to the softtop style of its predecessors. As with previous generations, the new Golf Cabrio will likely be all-but-identical to the Golf’s two-door bodystyle from the ground up to the belt line and boot lid.

Production is set to begin next year at Volkswagen’s Osnabruck plant in Germany. The last vehicle to be produced by Karmann at Osnabruck was the Mercedes Benz CLK, which finished production in June last year. Karmann and Volkswagen have a strong history together, thanks in particular to the iconic Beetle-based Karmann Ghia of the 1950s. Previous generations of the Golf Cabriolet have been built by Karmann, and with the current generation Eos reaching the end of its life cycle, a new Golf Cabrio has seemed likely for some time.

The renderings (above and top) offer a glimpse at how the new generation Golf Cabriolet might look.

Adapted from TheMotorReport

Sometime ago, rumours of a Golf 6 cabriolet surfaced, complete with renderings and an expected launch date of 2010. Of course production of the car still remains a rumour, and an unconfirmed one at that. Now that VW has completed its takeover of the former Karmann factory in Germany – the once iconic coachbuilder and convertible roof specialists who manufactured the classic Beetle-based Karmann Ghia coupe – rumours of the new cabriolet may not be unfounded. And thanks to the skills of a few graphic designers, we’re able to get an idea of what the new car may look like.

Assuming it gets the green light, the Golf 6 Cabrio will compete with such models as the Opel Astra CC and Peugeot 308CC, but unlike so many folding tin-top cabrios, Golf will instead offer a more traditional fabric top – technology shared with its Audi A3 cousin.

Should the roof technology be the same as that of Audi’s, the Golf Cabrio will utilise a multi-layer construction for impressive refinement at high speeds. The mechanism will also be fully automated and will be able to be raised or lowered at speeds of up to 30 km/h – a process that should take less than 10 seconds. Once down, the roof will sit flush with the bodywork behind the rear seats.