Volkswagen is celebrating a remarkable 264 per cent year-on-year surge in GTI and R model sales in Australia for 2023, reaching a total of 5499 units. This comes on the back of increased flow in the supply chain.
Notably, Australia has emerged as the top market globally for Tiguan R and T-Roc R, potentially underscoring the country’s appetite for high-performance SUVs and small crossovers.
Leading the charge, the circa-$70,000 Tiguan R performance medium SUV recorded an impressive 2227 sales in 2023. That’s a big jump on the previous year’s 284 units.
The compact yet heroic T-Roc R and T-Roc R Grid Edition duo tripled their sales to 1846, highlighting the increasing popularity of compact SUVs. Such models are perhaps taking some sales away from the traditional hot hatch segment.
Despite supply challenges, the latest Golf R demonstrated resilience, bouncing back from 37 deliveries in the first half of 2023 to a total of 309 deliveries by the end of 2023, marking an impressive 346 for the full year. Michelle Rowney, Volkswagen’s head of product for passenger vehicles in Australia, said:
“Australians understand that the Polo GTI, Golf GTI, Golf R, T-Roc R and Tiguan R are attainable performance vehicles, yet they challenge a more expensive cohort in terms of interior and driving feel, and overall ability.”
Volkswagen’s commitment to the hot hatch segment also seems to be paying off, with the Polo GTI more than doubling its sales from 139 in 2022 to 387 in 2023. Rowney expressed confidence in the potential for even higher volumes if supply constraints ease going forward, including for the iconic Golf GTI.
The Tiguan R will be available for delivery into the third quarter of 2024, likely before the next-gen model arrives, while the R range will welcome the new 340kW Touareg R in April. More than 500 customers have already expressed interest in the new performance large SUV.
Our full VFACTS report and rundown for 2023, covering most of the industry, will be up soon. Stay tuned.
