Keen on a Volkswagen Golf or Tiguan? You’d best be patient.
Volkswagen Australia product manager for passenger vehicles, Todd Ford, told CarExpert sourcing cars from the Wolfsburg factory in Germany where the Golf and Tiguan are both built remains challenging.
“From our traditional few months of turnaround to build and ship from Europe, I’d expect that could stretch out to double as we try and fight to get cars,” Mr Ford told CarExpert.
Part of the challenge is sourcing the “higher spec” cars Australian buyers want, given they require more semiconductors than stripped-out base models.
A look at the Volkswagen online stock checker shows just eight Tiguans are available at dealers around Australia, while just 18 examples of the Golf hatchback are listed.
Volkswagen has sold just 390 examples of the Tiguan to date in 2022, and just 370 examples of the Golf.
The best-selling mid-sized SUV in Australia is the Toyota RAV4, with 13,872 sales to date, while the best-selling rival to the Golf is the Hyundai i30 (7924 sales across sedan and hatch).
Although the Tiguan and its smaller Golf cousin are in tight supply, it’s not all doom and gloom for Volkswagen Australia.
The brand has recently locked in more supply of its Touareg large SUV, and says the smaller T-Cross (made in Spain) SUV is consistently available for customers.
A facelifted version of the T-Roc (made in Portugal) is on track to arrive Down Under in August, at which point supply should be strong.
It also has good supply of the new Polo city hatch (made in South Africa), and 110TSI and 132TSI Life versions of the updated Tiguan Allspace seven-seater – which is sourced from Mexico, instead of Germany like its five-seat sibling.
The popular range-topping Elegance and R-Line models will harder to find at launch, however.
The global supply chain struggles holding back Volkswagen are mirrored across the industry.
Between COVID-19, global shipping hold-ups, the semiconductor shortage, and war in Ukraine, sourcing vehicles is tougher than ever.
Along with long waits and adjusted equipment lists, those factors are playing out in higher prices across the industry.
