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The Volkswagen Tiguan R performance SUV is back on sale effective immediately – after orders were paused last month – with the brand announcing an influx of stock over the coming months.
Australian order books for the Volkswagen Tiguan R have re-opened, following news of a fresh batch of the performance SUVs are on their way to local showrooms.
Orders for the Tiguan R were paused last month amid restrictions on stock and about 1000 customers on the wait list.
While Tiguan R orders have now resumed, order books for other all-wheel-drive, standard-size Tiguans remain closed.
“In the last couple of weeks we’ve had confirmation the R division is sending us a lot more Tiguan Rs,” Volkswagen Australia spokesman Daniel DeGasperi told Australian media this morning.
“We briefly paused Tiguan R orders due to demand overwhelming supply… We’re pleased to say the Tiguan R will go back on order, effective immediately, and from about quarter two [April to June 2023] we should start to see a real upswing in supply.
“We do anticipate about 10 times more stock in the Tiguan R for 2023 than we saw in 2022,” he added.
The company estimates all existing customers orders will be fulfilled within the next month.
Among the influx of cars is a batch of 300 examples of the Tiguan R Grid Edition, a special-edition version of the Tiguan R with fewer luxury features to avoid delays due to a shortage of computer chips, and a lower price of $63,990 before on-road costs.
Although roughly half of these vehicles have already sold to customers, VW Australia said it was looking at continuing the Grid Edition beyond the initial batch of 300 examples.
These Grid Edition models retain the high-performance engine and styling, but miss out on features such as a head-up display, power tailgate, scrolling LED rear indicators, and safety features including blind-spot monitoring, a rear cross-traffic alert, and proactive passenger protection.
The Tiguan R, which is priced from $70,490 plus on-road costs, launched in Australia a year ago.
Powered by a 235kW/400Nm version of Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine, Volkswagen Australia says the Tiguan R has become the most popular R model locally – but has been plagued by stock shortages.
“The Volkswagen R division actually called Australia out as one of the top markets for Tiguan R… unfortunately in 2022 it’s also the R model we most struggled to supply,” Mr DeGasperi said.
Last month, Volkswagen Australia paused new orders of most all-wheel-drive, standard-wheelbase Volkswagen Tiguan SUVs, including the R variant, amid overseas component shortages.
Volkswagen Australia has urged customers to contact their preferred dealership for more specific delivery timings.
Susannah’s background is news journalism, followed by several years spent in celebrity journalism, entertainment journalism and fashion magazines and a brief stint hosting a travel TV show for Channel Ten. She joined Drive in 2020 after spending a year and a half at the helm of Harper’s BAZAAR and ELLE’s online platforms.
Susannah holds a Bachelor in Media and Communications from the University of Melbourne and cut her teeth as an intern for Time Inc in New York City. She has also completed a television presenting course with the National Institute of Dramatic Art. She lives in Melbourne with her husband and her one-year-old son who, despite her best efforts, does not yet enjoy a good road trip.
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