Volkswagen Golf R wagon dead, Golf R hatch orders to resume within months

Order books for the Volkswagen Golf R hot hatch are due to reopen by the end of this year – after the brakes were slammed in February amid severe production constraints.

Volkswagen Australia has secured a boost to production and hopes the Volkswagen Golf R will return to local showrooms in the coming months.

But only the Golf R hatch – which accounts for about 90 per cent of Golf R sales – will return, as both standard and R versions of the Golf wagon will be dropped from the Volkswagen Australia line-up early next year.

Orders for the Golf R hot hatch and wagon were paused in February 2023 due to shortages of a number of components – such as the R-specific all-wheel-drive hardware, and a reversing camera shortage affecting all Golfs.

Volkswagen Australia executives told media this week it has cleared about two-thirds of its order backlog – thanks to improved production – and it is gearing up to resume customer orders in the coming months.

"Next year [production] will probably frictionless, and we are ramping up very fast for Q4 [October to December] this year as well," Volkswagen Australia passenger-cars director Michal Szeniecki told Drive.

"I don't envisage any problems by July or August (2023) for the order intake to open up again."

The company says it has about 350 orders for the Golf R to clear – after ordering from the factory approximately 700 examples so far this year.

In the meantime the only way to order a new Volkswagen Golf R hatch is to purchase one of just 50 limited-edition 20 Years models, which go on sale online today priced from $77,490 plus on-road costs (more details here).

While Golf R hatch orders are due to re-open soon, the Golf R wagon will not return to the model range as Volkswagen rationalises its showroom line-up in preparation for a new wave of electric vehicles next year.

Existing customer orders will be fulfilled, and production is not scheduled to end until early next year.

The Golf R wagon will be axed alongside the standard Golf wagon, plus the Arteon large liftback and wagon, Passat mid-size wagon (after the sedan was dropped in 2021), manual Polo city hatch, and diesel versions of the Tiguan SUV (more details here).

"We are rationalising our range to focus on what the customers are asking for. Unfortunately small wagons are not that," Volkswagen Australia passenger-vehicles product manager Todd Ford told Australian media.

"We're preparing for our EV [electric vehicle] onslaught next year with ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, and in preparation for that ... we will see the Golf wagon range discontinued."

Meanwhile, a facelift for the Golf hatchback – including the R hot hatch – is planned for Australia "as soon as possible" after it goes on sale in Europe next year.

Local arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however Mr Szeniecki told Drive there may be a gap in availability between the end of Model Year 2024 production – the last of the current model – and the updated Golf for Model Year 2025.