On April Fools day, Volkswagen’s Powertrain Chief Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser sat at a round table discussion during the New York Auto Show with members of the motoring press and told them, among other things, that if the Golf R400 ever saw production, it would be sold in the United States. And while many among us thought and posted things like “LOL April Fools” across our forums and social media channels, I took the statement to be the truth as it existed in that moment. Partly because I was sitting directly across from him when he said it, and Neusser didn’t seem like much of a practical joker.
According to a report published yesterday afternoon on CAR Magazine’s website, Neusser has again mentioned the super-Golf, this time confirming that the car will enter production. More importantly, he said that the finalized version will be on display in Frankfurt this year, possibly with 420hp instead of the concept’s 400. Now, while Frankfurt would certainly make the most sense for a reveal of a vehicle like the Golf R400, we think the car may have a few more hurdles to cross before it makes its way to US dealers.
Is the market there?
If it were to come in at, say, $10k more than an Golf R (putting it at $48,000), would dealers be receptive to such a model? We’d wager that if Volkswagen were to cap it at ~500 units (Neusser previously said it would be a very limited run) and offer an online pre-sale, they’d sell each one without having to worry about unsold Golf R400’s sitting in Nebraska at steep discounts. Sorry, Nebraskans.
How to offset federalization costs?
Another key point would be the post-development costs of the vehicle. Spreading the costs of federalizing across a large model run like the GTI or Jetta is relatively minor, but when it comes to dedicated testing for something severely limited, it can be a bit more daunting. Subsidizing these costs would certainly be feasible, but would there be value (whether it’s perceived or real) in it for Volkswagen? I’d like to think so, but unfortunately that decision is a bit above my pay grade.
Could it still produce 400hp on American fuel?
If Volkswagen intends on calling it the Golf R400 (or Golf R420 for that matter), it better have 400hp. Due to the lower quality fuel used in the States compared to what’s available in Europe, vehicles tend to come here with lower stated outputs than their European counterparts. Not to say that it isn’t possible for Volkswagen to offer a US-specific calibration, but it makes the business case for such a car that much more difficult.
Making these three hurdles a bit more daunting, Neusser told CAR that Golf R400 deliveries will begin later this year or early next year, meaning that many pieces of this puzzle need to begin moving as soon as possible. It certainly seems like a bit of a long shot, but it’s one that we’re really pulling for.
Read the entire article over on CAR Magazine’s website, here.
The post CAR Magazine Reports Production Golf R 400 to Debut in Frankfurt appeared first on VWVortex.
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