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Rumours are circling around the Internet that Volkswagen is in the midst of developing a carbonfibre roof for future high performance Golf models. American auto site Edmunds have reported that such a feature will be offered as an optional extra, though no timeline is mentioned.

Use of the once-exotic material to replace the current steel-constructed roof will provide a weight saving benefit of eight to nine kilograms, which in turn will improve the car’s performance and fuel efficiency. Another bi-product is a lower centre of gravity, further aiding handling.

BMW’s M division started this trend with the E46 M3 CSL in 2003, the first production car to feature a carbonfibre roof. All BMW M coupes since then have used the lightweight technology, and just recently it filtered down to the latest four-door M6 Gran Coupe.

For Volkswagen, the next generation Golf R seems a likely venue to introduce its own version of a carbonfibre roof, though we wouldn’t count out its availability on the Golf GTI (pictured above) in the near future too. The R certainly wouldn’t need any extra go if its rumoured 300 hp proves true, but you’d want the fancy roof anyway, wouldn’t you?

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