Paris show: Volkswagen Golf R Wagon on horizon

VOLKSWAGEN is set to spring a Golf R Wagon into the world in the not-too-distant future, extending the appeal of the range-topping performance flagship that is already proving more popular than its makers predicted.

This is according to Volkswagen Group head of powertrain development Heinz-Jakob Neusser, speaking to Australian media at the French stage of the FIA World Rally Championship near Strasbourg.

An enthusiastic supporter of the project, the veteran engineer said the final decision rests on how many markets put their hand up for it.

“Perhaps we may soon see other R cars – maybe you will even see in the future a (Golf R) wagon,” he revealed.

“We’ve had the biggest success ever with the Golf R. We didn’t expect to have this much success. It gives us the chance to think about other variants. It’s up to the markets willing to take the models – whether it is commercially attractive for them to do it.

“It is so strong all over the world – we have had such an increase in sales (over the Mk6 version).” Mr Neusser also said he has been overwhelmed by the massive response to the Golf R 400 Concept that debuted at the Beijing motor show in April. The concept is a 294kW/450Nm all-wheel-drive super-hot hatch with a 3.9-second 0-100km/h sprint time.

The latter debuted just weeks after the current Mk7 Golf R Hatch arrived in Australia, priced from $51,990, plus on-road costs, and brandishing a 206kW/380Nm 2.0-litre version of the same EA888 four-cylinder engine driving all four wheels via the company’s 4Motion Haldex system.

It hits 100km/h from standstill in 5.0 seconds flat.

Mr Neusser added that the R-Line body-kit packs available across a number of Volkswagen models have also been extremely well received.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Golf R 4Motion in Australia, when a 177kW/320Nm 3.2-litre V6 was stuffed into the dainty bonnet of the outgoing Mk4 Golf.

It was followed two years later by a Mk5 version using an uprated 184kW version.

The Mk5 of 2010 was the first to downsize to a (188kW/330Nm) 2.0-litre four-pot turbo screamer – and to demonstrate this the name was changed to just ‘R’.

The most powerful Golf Wagon currently on sale in Australia uses a 110kW/320Nm 2.0-litre TDI turbo-diesel engine, driving the front wheels via a six-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission.