Volkswagen will mix open-air driving with the functionality of a crossover, a formula Nissan and Land Rover have experimented with in the Murano Cross Cabriolet and Evoque convertible. On Friday, VW confirmed plans for a T-Roc convertible, its first convertible crossover.

The announcement said VW will begin production of the convertible CUV in the first half of 2020 at the automaker's plant in Osnabrück, Germany. The niche vehicle will warrant an $98 million investment at the facility.

The sole sketch above previews what the T-Roc convertible will look like when it reaches production, and it wears similar design traits to the fixed-roof version of the CUV. The basic design changes from four doors to two, the roof is a cloth unit, and the rear end is slightly altered with a lip spoiler.

2018 Volkswagen T-Roc

2018 Volkswagen T-Roc

Looking ahead, the T-Roc convertible will be one of many new crossover vehicles from VW. The automaker plans to expand its CUV lineup to include 20 models globally.

VW does not plan to sell the T-Roc or T-Toc convertible in the United States, but it did confirm it has a different compact crossover on the way for these shores. The T-Roc rides on the automaker's highly flexible MQB platform, which underpins the Golf and Atlas. The thus-far unnamed crossover is closely related to the Audi Q2, though it boasts its own exterior design.

Thus far, the T-Roc has been an enormous success in Europe. VW said it's taken more than 40,000 orders for the CUV since it launched in December 2017. If all goes according to plan, 40 percent of all VWs sold by 2020 will be crossover SUVs. The T-Roc and the unnamed compact CUV for the U.S. are a big part of the automaker's prediction.