The Volkswagen R32 is one of the hottest hatches available in the U.S., but the V6-powered, all-wheel drive Golf-based R32 will have to give up that title come next year. Volkswagen has announced that there will be no R32 model available in the U.S. after the 2008 model year.
VW spokesman Thomas Wegehaupt revealed to Kicking Tires that German automaker has no plans to offer an R32 model in 2009.
Wegehaupt didn’t elaborate on VW’s decision, but the move is probably a direct result of the transition from the fifth-generation car to the sixth-generation model, which is expected to hit the market sometime in 2009. Wegehaupt didn’t completely rule out a return of the R32, so the model could reappear on U.S. shores a few years after the Golf VI’s launch.
Another scenario could be that VW is clearing out room for Scirocco’s U.S. debut. A report surfaced earlier this month that VW was rethinking its U.S. plans for the Scirocco, which would see the sleek hatch slotted above the GTI – the current position of the R32.
Whatever the case, if you want to put an R32 in your driveway, you better hurry. According to Cars.com, only 276 R32s examples of the ’08 R32 are still up for sale.
