Volkswagen R began in 2002 with the Golf R32. Then the Passat R sedan/wagon got here alongside in 2008, adopted a 12 months later by the Scirocco R, whereas the Polo R WRC landed in 2013. In current years, “R” has even been used for warm variations of the Arteon and T-Roc, Tiguan, and Touareg SUVs. But in 2024, VW desires R to evolve into an impartial model.
The plan is to open a devoted Volkswagen R part on the Autostadt theme park in Wolfsburg. If you have not been there already, it’s a customer attraction positioned close to the corporate’s manufacturing unit, comparable in philosophy to the BMW Welt in Munich. Annually, about two million folks go to the Autostadt and its a number of pavilions devoted to VW Group manufacturers, from Skoda and SEAT to Audi and Lamborghini. An R pavilion spanning 1,076 sq. toes will be a part of them this summer season.
Fans of sizzling VWs may have the chance to take a look at idea automobiles and limited-run manufacturing fashions. Inevitably, there shall be electrical efficiency fashions on show. VW says the R lineup will regularly evolve within the coming years with amped-up EVs within the works. The course of has already began with the Touareg R—full with a plug-in hybrid V-6 powertrain.
However, there’s nonetheless life left within the ol’ inner combustion engine. The Golf R facelift is popping out this summer season however sadly with out a guide gearbox. That will not be such a dealbreaker in Europe the place the Mk8 was by no means provided with three pedals however the stick shift shall be missed by fanatics within the US.
VW’s choice to distance R (initially known as Volkswagen Individual GmbH) from the principle model began in 2020 when it grew to become a separate enterprise unit. Elsewhere inside the VW Group, SEAT went a step additional with its US-bound Cupra spin-off marque by introducing standalone fashions. Audi Sport can be a separate entity inside Audi.
As to what the long run entails, VW has stated the ninth-gen Golf shall be completely electrical. Will that be the primary electrical R? Time will inform, however we’re seemingly going to see an electrical GTI first. Spicy EVs are already a part of the corporate’s portfolio for the reason that GTX fashions have extra energy, together with even the ID. Buzz GTX minivan.
In the meantime, R is doing higher than ever as greater than 35,000 automobiles had been produced in 2023, a report for the model. Since 2002, over 300,000 R-badged autos have been bought.