It's the concept that won't die. The subject of rumours and reports that paint a picture of an on-again, off-again battle in the carmaker's head office. The Volkswagen Bluesport.
As recently as last month, reports out of Europe described a bleak future for the stylish roadster, with a forecast of fewer than 50,000 annual global sales seeing the production plans filed away once more.
This week, the UK's Evo magazine reports that Volkswagen engineering chief Uli Hackenberg is confident that the market's returning interest in sports cars means the Bluesport has more potential than the brand's dealers and bean-counters realise.
"Dealers are always looking backwards, not forwards," Hackenberg is quoted by the magazine. "This is particularly the case when a new model is being considered as they don’t have any reference point to guide them, so they look around at the current market and give an estimate based on that."
If it gets over the line, challengers for the mid-engined and rear-wheel-drive Bluesport would include the hardtop 86 and BRZ twins from Toyota and Subaru, along with Mazda's next-generation MX-5.
The new MINI Coupe and Roadster twins, along with the turbocharged Hyundai Veloster, Honda's CR-Z and the newly-launched (in Australia) Volkswagen Scirocco R also stand as examples of the growing interest in affordable sports cars.
According to Evo, Hackenburg said that Volkswagen has asked its dealers to take another look at their figures, and he is confident that the necessary 50,000 annual sales minimum is a sensible target. Bluesport fans, now is the time to get on the horn to your local Volkswagen dealer.