Autoblog

click above image to view many more spy shots of the VW Scirocco

After going back and forth on whether or not it will be offering the upcoming Scirocco hatchback in the U.S., Volkswagen still appears to be up in the air on the matter. These spy shots taken by KGP Photography in the deserts of California further confuse things. They are the first shots of an actual Scirocco prototype, not a Golf-bodied development mule.

Despite the front and rear ends being covered, it's easy to see that the production Scirocco will retain much of the style previewed on the IROC Concept last fall. It's clearly much lower than the Golf hatchback, with a cab-forward type greenhouse and short hood. It has a low-slung look, almost like the last-gen Honda Civic Si hatchback, but even lower and wider. The face, though obscured, also appears to sport a honeycomb grille almost identical to the one on the IROC Concept.

So will it come to the U.S. or won't it? We don't know, but we're hoping this prototype's presence in California is a good sign.

Feel free to link to this post, though we ask that you not republish these images elsewhere. Thank you.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

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In perhaps the least surprising move in recent automotive histroy, Volkwagen has essentially confirmed that the production version of the IROC concept will revive the Scirocco nameplate. We'd have never guessed, what with "Scirocco" already clearly emblazoned across the concept's grille. Anyway, Auto Express reports that at the Paris motor show, a Veedub spokeswoman said, "It now seems that we will be using the Scirocco name."

It now seems? Lady, did you see the concept car before Paris? I mean, come on. Anyway, mark your calendars: the warm desert wind blows back into showrooms in 2008.

[Source: Auto Express via German Car Blog]