Volkswagen Australia has confirmed that Golf hatchback sales will all but cease during Q1 of 2023, news which comes just months after the popular small-car had its safety credentials boosted.
According to Volkswagen Australia’s Product and PR Communications Manager Daniel DeGasperi, the Golf hatch will temporarily be pulled from the Australian market due to a lack of reversing camera availability.
This lack of Golf availability throughout Q1 of 2023 will leave the door open for vehicles such as the Mazda3, Toyota Corolla, and BMW 1 Series to claim some extra sales.
The Golf R is the most powerful variant in the range
During the interview, DeGasperi claimed that it was a stop sale, but instead, Volkswagen Australia wasn’t willing to sell a Golf without a camera, deeming it as “critical to the specifications of our models.
“We would not sell a Golf without a reverse-view camera, so we will wait for that to come back online, which we anticipate will be in mid Q2,” DeGasperi added.
It was also noted that the issue only affects the Golf hatch, and the Golf station wagon will continue to be sold throughout this period. But considering only “one in ten Golfs are sold as a wagon,” the impact to potential buyers remains significant.
The reversing camera issue doesn’t affect the Golf wagon
Despite this issue, DeGasperi was sure to affirm that the Golf isn’t getting dropped from the lineup anytime soon, and that Volkswagen Australia is completely committed to selling the popular hatch.
“There’s absolutely no question, no discussion, no debate about that. It’s purely just waiting until that reverse-view camera comes back online,” he said.
In Australia, the Volkswagen Golf range is made up of eight variants, starting with the 110TSI at $34,690 before on-road costs.
The reversing camera sits beneath the ‘VW’ badge on the Golf’s tailgate
So far this year, Volkswagen Australia has sold 2865 Golfs, which makes up 3.9% of the market share in the ‘small cars below $40,000’ segment.
Volkswagen Golf 2023: prices in Australia
All prices listed are before on-road costs.
- Golf (base model) hatch: $34,690
- Golf (base model) wagon: $36,390
- Golf Life hatch: $36,990
- Golf Life wagon: $38,990
- Golf R-Line hatch: $39,990
- Golf GTI hatch: $54,990
- Golf R hatch: $65,990
- Golf R wagon: $68,990