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.