Volkswagen feeling the heat

Amid the snow covered European launch of the Volkswagen Golf R, it emerged that Australia's hot climate has cost local drivers the chance to sample the new high performance hatch in all its glory. Volkswagen Australia has confirmed that Australian-bound versions of the Golf R will be detuned to cope with the local climate.

While the European-spec Golf R will produce 199kW and 350Nm, Australian customers will have to make do with only 188kW but still get the full complement of torque. The same fate befell the Audi S3, which shares the same turbocharged four-cylinder engine, but the four-ringed car only has 330Nm to play with.

Interestingly though, the Audi TT S which also shares the same 2.0-litre engine is available in Australia with 200kW and 350Nm.

"Australia has been designated as a 'hot country' and they have put some limitations on us," VW Australia General Manager of Press and PR, Karl Gehling, told the Carsales Network.

And the Golf R is not the only local model affected by headquarters' declaration that Australia is too hot to handle all Volkswagen has to offer. Gehling confirmed that the hot Aussie climate is the reason behind the company's decision not to import the fuel-efficient BlueMotion models.

The super-efficient BlueMotion technology is available on a range of VW models but none of them have been approved for Australia's climate. But that doesn't mean VW Australia is going to stop trying to get the BlueMotion models into local showrooms.

"We're exploring it and it's something we'll continue to explore," Gehling said. "It's a very important technology and we'd love to have it here."

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