Cut-price VW Golf GTI here to stay

Volkswagen Australia has confirmed that it's seeking to make its new cut-price Golf GTI Original three-door special-edition a full-time model Down Under.

In other words, a sub-$40,000 Volkswagen Golf GTI will soon be a permanent fixture in Australian Volkswagen showrooms.

Fitted with black 18-inch alloy wheels, pumping out 169kW of power and priced under $40,000, the svelte three-door hatch is targeting the enthusiast end of the hot hatch market and is expected to further grow the Golf's already-large proportion of GTI buyers.

Quizzed over whether the affordable sub-$50K Golf R Grid Edition and Golf GTI Original may become full-time models in Australia, Paul Pottinger, General Manager of Corporate Communications at Volkswagen Australia, was confident they could.

"Yes, absolutely," he responded. "Particularly in the case of the GTI Original."

"We've bought it here [Golf GTI Original] as a special-edition. But if the demand is there it's difficult to see why we wouldn't make it a permanent part of the line-up -- it just makes so much sense," said Pottinger.

"We're answering demand with this. Ever since Mk7 Golf GTI came out people said, where's the three-door? Where's the three-door entry car?"

Buyers looking for a new hot hatch are spoiled for choice and with the new 202kW Hyundai i30 N and 235kW Honda Civic Type R both on their way and expected to be very popular. Volkswagen Australia is clearly working on a strategy to retain its market share.

Roughly one in four Volkswagen Golf small cars sold in Australia are either a GTI or R and the reason for this is simple, stated the Volkswagen executive.

"Australian predilection, for sure. We love fast cars. We see it with other brands too with their performance ranges. It's not unique to us, although our offering is unique in our context."

Roughly half of all Holden Commodores sold today are powered by high-output 6.2-litre V8s, while Australia is now a top-five market for companies such as Mercedes-AMG.

It's precisely this reason that has motivated Volkswagen to release countless special-editions over the past couple of years, including the new Golf GTI Performance Edition 1, a three-door model with a hike in power and torque (180kW/370Nm) limited to just 150 units.

There's more to come too, reckons Pottinger, confirming that in 2018 we can expect a Golf GTI Performance Edition 2.

"There'll be subsequent Performance Editions of the GTI. We see the GTI Performance Edition 1 right now and the most telling part of that nomenclature is the numeral one. There will be another one next year," he stated.

Sales of GTI and R models are expected to climb further following this week's launch of the updated Mk7.5 Golf R and GTI models, before the sub-$50K Golf R Grid Edition arrives late this year and the sub-$40K Golf GTI Original launches in early 2018.

For buyers who want to be fast and frugal the company will also bring the Golf GTE hybrid variant into Australia, where an example is currently being trialed ahead of its local release, likely in 2018.

"Yes, we want it. It makes a lot of sense for this country," said Pottinger of the plug-in hybrid hot hatch, which is yet to be revealed in the latest Golf Mk7.5 form and would be Volkswagen Australia's first electrified model.

"You can buy Golf GTE in Europe now and we'd like to be able to sell it here.

"We're in a position now where we've got an entry-level GTI with the lowest price ever. The Golf performance range tops out at $59,900-odd and no one can really equal that breadth of capability," he said.