Volkswagen GTI and R sales nearly triple as supply rebounds strongly

Volkswagen this week announced that it had delivered 264 percent more GTI and R performance models to Australians in 2023 when compared against 2022

It was a jump fuelled in some cases by supply rebounding – and in others by the addition of new performance models to the lineup, with Volkswagen’s GTI and R portfolio accounting for 5499 deliveries in 2023.

The German manufacturer has in recent years added a number of SUV models to its performance vehicle portfolio after a period of only selling go-fast hatchbacks in Australia.

Supply had been very tight for more than a year across all of Volkswagen’s classic hot hatches, but that situation has turned around as follows:

• Polo GTI: 387 deliveries in 2023 (up 287 percent over 2023)
• Golf GTI: 693 deliveries (up 187 percent)
• Golf R: 346 deliveries (up 229 percent)

The Golf R has been the biggest thorn in the side of Volkswagen’s performance vehicle division – but things are now rosy enough that VW has lifted a long-lasting order pause on the top-shelf Golf.

It’s now possible to order a Golf R hatchback through Volkswagen’s dealer network once again – but the Golf R estate was sadly discontinued in late 2023.

By far the standout performers of the R line in 2023 were the SUV products:

• T-Roc R and T-Roc R Grid Edition: 1846 deliveries (up 326 percent)
• Tiguan R and Tiguan R Grid Edition: 2227 deliveries (up 784 percent)

Supply was less problematic in 2023 on the T-Roc and Tiguan R models, but it does appear that the SUVs will be the major contributors to the performance line on an ongoing basis.

The T-Roc R is the most affordable “full-fat” R product by a solid margin – see prices below.

Volkswagen will introduce another R-rated SUV in 2024 in the form of the full-size Touareg R. That vehicle will become the sole six-cylinder R model in the line – and also the only plug-in hybrid R variant.

Volkswagen GTI and R portfolio: Australian pricing

Prices are before on-road costs and were correct at the time of writing in January 2024.

• Polo GTI: $40,390
• Golf GTI: $56,090
• T-Roc R: $63,490
• Golf R: $70,590
• Tiguan R: $73,790
• Touareg R: $129,990