- Volkswagen R GmbH, the performance subsidiary of the German automaker, was officially announced on Tuesday.
- Whether U.S. consumers will benefit from the formal establishment of VW's performance subsidiary is unknown at this time.
- The portfolio includes the Scirocco R, the Golf R and R-Line design packages.
WOLFSBURG, Germany — Volkswagen R GmbH, the German automaker's answer to BMW's M and Mercedes' AMG offshoots, was officially launched on Tuesday. But whether U.S. consumers will benefit from the formal establishment of VW's performance subsidiary is still a question mark.
In a conversation with Inside Line, Volkswagen of American spokesman Thomas Wegehaupt said the automaker's "Volkswagen R GmbH in the Starting Blocks" statement is "not applicable at all" to the U.S. — this despite the availability of the CC R-Line in the U.S.
"We won't get the Scirocco R," Wegehaupt said. "The Golf R is under discussion, but nothing has been decided. They are considering it. But it's definitely not coming for 2010."
VW says the performance subsidiary "will be the specialist for sporty exclusive models from Volkswagen in the future." The portfolio includes the Scirocco R, the Golf R and R-Line design packages. The automaker said the establishment of Volkswagen R "responds to the increased global demand for individualized vehicles with contemporary sportiness and exclusivity."
Inside Line says: We'll be slow to get the entire R lineup, if we get it at all. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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iskch says:
09:50 AM, 03/18/2010
VW's ' R ' division was always working behind the curtains since the late 80's. Few products went to the market and most of the time restricted only to Germany. It won't surprise me if we don't get the VW Golf R.
flwind says:
09:14 AM, 03/18/2010
If they are not bringing over the Scirocco R, then who cares..
delraylocal says:
07:06 AM, 03/18/2010
The only reason they are thinking about cutting the R versions is so it forces people to move on to Audi.
My dream car I want to buy is the four door R32 (or whatever the latest one is called now).
They only sell the two door in the states, so the only car that is similar in stats and price, etc is the Audi A3.
Here is a pic of my dream car that I can't have. Thanks VW!!!
http://images.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2005_frankfurt/0509_frankfurt_049+2006_volkswagen_golf_r32+front_left_view.jpg
perrito says:
06:47 AM, 03/18/2010
Dear VWofA,
OK, fine don't bring the R series, I understand your anxiety. You're afraid that a Golf R series would cut into GTI sales. There's a simple solution: distance the performance between the GTI nad and the current Golf. Tweak the GTI in other words for better performance, and perhaps even slap on AWD. Problem solved. See? It's not that hard. You just make it seem hard.
eldaino2 says:
06:07 AM, 03/18/2010
travai: your post made me lol.
i really hope they decided to bring over all the r products (at least the golf)...but i get why they dont bring the scirrocco. i love the way it looks, but its bascially a slightly wider, lower, stylized golf....they probably would not sell enough to justify bringing it over here, or the price they would have to charge.
sh00gahman says:
12:36 AM, 03/18/2010
Sometimes, I think I can settle for a Golf since the Scirocco ain't comin' here. Then you see em both side by side, and think: man, VW sure does suck major b@11s.
travai says:
08:35 PM, 03/17/2010
We may not be getting the BMW 5-series Estate (wagon) either! WTF. This is thanks to paltry sales numbers of the previous version. It's not the car-makers fault -- it's the American consumer taste for McDonald's Cars that does it. I can't believe people will buy an Escalade over, say, an Audi A6 Allroad. They must be afraid their neighbors will think they're "one'a them high falutin' interlectauls, er sumthin."
luvfishing says:
07:53 PM, 03/17/2010
That's Volkswagen - no Scirocco for the US. And they wonder why they have a hard time selling in the US.
When they start offering their better vehicles people will strat buying them.
bobfromguam says:
06:02 PM, 03/17/2010
what the hell, US always gets shafted!!!