But microchip issues keep VW Golf R on the no-go list
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R is back on sale in Australia as production ramps up in Wolfsburg.
However, the Volkswagen Golf R, sales of which were paused at the same time as Tiguan R early in February, remains unavailable to order in Australia along with non-R versions of the VW Tiguan 4MOTION all-wheel drive.
Volkswagen Australia is forecasting its current order bank of more than 600 Tiguan Rs will be cleared up by mid-year at the latest.
A supply of 1000 Tiguan Rs has been confirmed for Australia, with more available later in the year. There are also 365 Tiguan R Grid Editions confirmed, of which 150 have already been claimed by customers.
While other all-wheel drive Tiguans remain off sale, the Tiguan R has become available because it employs a torque vectoring version of 4MOTION.
“It’s an amazing story,” said Volkswagen Australia product manager Todd Ford. “A matter of weeks ago we never thought we’d be able to fulfill the existing customer orders before Tiguan eventually expires a bit further down the track.
“But with some great work and support from Volkswagen we’ve been able to turn that around.”
Ford estimated that someone ordering a Tiguan R today would face only the normal three-month delivery time from the factory in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Volkswagen endured a horror sales year in Australia in 2022 because of supply shortages primarily triggered by the microchip manufacturing crisis.
The German brand’s year-on-year sales were down 24.1 per cent to 30,946 in 2022, when almost every VW model line recorded lower sales.
While the Tiguan R was launched earlier last year in Australia and the Grid Edition announced in August 2022, solid supply is only now arriving in Australia.
Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition
The same issues have applied to the smaller T-Roc R and T-Roc R Grid Edition, but supply is now assured. Around 1200 T-Roc Rs and 300 Grid Editions are headed to Australia. Eight of the latter have been sold.
The T-Roc range is expected to be the number one selling Volkswagen model locally in 2023 and R versions are forecast to account for 25 per cent of that demand. VW says Australia is now number one globally for T-Roc R ordering.
Ford said there was a chance more Tiguan R and T-Roc R Grid Editions could be ordered from the factory. Both are Australian-only models that omit some equipment because of the semi-conductor shortage.
“It’s demand and restriction dependant,” he said.
Volkswagen T-Roc R
Priced at $54,300, the 221kW T-Roc R Grid Edition is the second cheapest VW performance model behind the Polo GTI. The 235kW Tiguan R Grid Edition is priced at $63,990.
The Golf R sales pause is driven by a lack of reversing cameras triggered by the microchip shortage.
Across the broader VW range in Australia, Golf and Polo supplies remain heavily restricted, while the T-Roc, T-Cross, front-wheel drive Tiguan and Allspace, Passat, Arteon and Touareg are in ample supply.
The new Volkswagen Amarok dual-cab ute launches in late April.
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Keyword: Volkswagen Tiguan R back on sale