One of these is a new sliding roof design that we could be seeing in production in the very near future.
Similar in concept to the sliding roof design on vehicles like the Fiat 500 Cabrio and Savage Rivale Roadyacht GTS, Magna’s design, which it calls the View Top, is a unique sliding roof with integrated glass elements that creates an open-air feeling whether open or closed.
To demonstrate the functionality of the View Top roof, Magna swapped the roof of a Peugeot RCZ coupe with its View Top design.
The roof’s transparent glass segments are integrated into its cloth material. It opens in 12 seconds and folds in a special pattern stacking itself at a height of less than 8.0 inches once completely opened. The folded top is neatly positioned on the rear shelf, taking very little space and allowing room for two passengers in the rear seats and luggage in the trunk.
The lack of space required to fit the system is one of its key benefits, however, the roof is also much lighter than a conventional convertible system and cheaper to construct.
It also maintains the original look of the car, and its flexibility allows for various design elements, even on complex surfaces. For the Peugeot RCZ, the car’s trademark ‘double bubble’ rear window was maintained as a distinct design feature of the sliding roof.
Of course, it doesn’t eliminate the pillars of the car like a proper convertible, but as a cost-effective alternative for open top driving, Magna Steyr’s View Top roof design is hard to beat.
For more from the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, click here.
