The Volkswagen Tiguan R is once again available in Australia – and there’s good news if you’re waiting for an order.
Having closed orders early in February, the Volkswagen Australia says it’s secured solid supply for our market going forward.
It expects to have dealt with the worst of its order backlog over the coming month, and is forecasting shorter waits for new buyers throughout 2023.
“We’re pleased to say the Tiguan R will go back on order, effective immediately, and from about quarter two we should start to see a real upswing in supply,” a Volkswagen Australia spokesperson told media.
Volkswagen says it should have up to 10 times more Tiguan Rs to sell this year than in 2022.
Don’t expect to see the R clogging up dealer forecourts, though. Stock will vary from dealer-to-dealer, and previous demand suggests the Tiguan R will remain hot property.
“The supply versus demand equation is balancing up, to the tune of 10 times more [supply] than last year,” the Volkswagen Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
Along with better supply of the regular R, the first batch of Grid Edition models has touched down locally. Around 150 of the 300 cars assigned to Australia are spoken for, with the remainder heading for dealers.
A further 65 are bound for Australia, with the potential for more throughout 2023.
The news is less positive for prospective Golf R buyers, with no indication of when orders for the hot hatch will reopen. It remains on a growing list of hot hatches out of reach for Australian buyers.
Honda has confirmed the Civic Type R is sold out for the next 20 months, which means anyone who orders one now won’t get the keys until late in 2024
The Toyota GR Corolla, and the Hyundai i20 and i30 N on the list of hot hatchbacks where demand outstrips supply.
Toyota has confirmed there will be just 500 examples of the GR Corolla allocated to the Australian market, and says it’s working to ensure what limited supply there is will be snapped up by enthusiasts instead of scalpers.
Hyundai in 2022 closed orders of the i20 N pocket rocket as it works to clear an order backlog of more than 12 months. Waits for the i30 Hatch N had blown past 12 months late in 2022 as well, forcing Hyundai to close orders.
Also contributing to the Australian hot hatch shortage is the impending death of the Renault Megane RS, and the recent death of the Ford Fiesta ST and Focus ST.
The Megane RS Ultime will arrive Down Under mid-year, and spells the end not only for the much-loved hot Megane, but the Renault Sport brand.
