Interested in Volkswagen Golf or Tiguan? You have to be patient.
Todd Ford, product manager for Volkswagen Australia’s passenger vehicles, said Care Expert Car sourcing from the Wolfsburg factory in Germany, where both golf and tiguan are made, remains challenging.
“From our traditional few months of shifting to making and shipping from Europe, I hope we can double that as we try and fight to get the car,” Mr Ford said. Care Expert.
Part of the challenge is to source the “high quality” cars that Australian buyers want, as they require more semiconductors than the stripe-out base model.
A look at the Volkswagen online stock checker reveals that only eight Tiguan are available from dealers around Australia, with only 18 examples of golf hatchbacks listed.
As of 2022, Volkswagen has sold only 390 instances of the Tiguan and only 370 instances of the Golf.
The best-selling medium-sized SUV in Australia is the Toyota RAV4, which has sold 13,872 so far, while the golf’s best-selling competitor is the Hyundai i30 (7924 sales across sedans and hatches).
While Tiguan and his younger golf cousin have a strong supply, it is not disappointing and depressing for Volkswagen Australia.
The brand recently discontinued further supply of its Touareg larger SUV and stated that smaller T-Cross (made in Spain) SUVs are still available to customers.
A facelifted version of the T-Roc (made in Portugal) is due to arrive in Down Under in August, at which point the supply should be strong.
It has a good supply of the new Polo City Hatch (made in South Africa), and the 110TSI and 132TSI Life versions of the updated Tiguan Allspace Seven-Seater – taken from Mexico as its five-seater sibling instead of Germany.
Popular range-topping elegance and R-line models will be hard to find at launch.
The global supply chain struggle has been reflected across the industry, with Volkswagen stuck.
With COVID-19, a global shipping hold-up, a shortage of semiconductors and the war in Ukraine, vehicle sourcing is more difficult than ever.
Along with the long wait and the list of compatible tools, those factors are at play High price Across the industry.