Unofficial, of course.
As of this morning, there is still no official word on when production of RHD Golf R's will begin. Indeed, UK dealers cannot actually officially order them until Wolfsburg gives the go-ahead. In the meantime, dealers will happily relieve you of £500, to book a place in the queue. Any dealer who tells you otherwise is lying through his teeth.
According to VW HQ in Milton Keynes, production of all Rs is not scheduled to start until January 2010 (not December as we were originally told), with the Fatherland getting first priority followed by the UK. VW's UK HQ reckon that first UK bound Rs will be produced starting late February with deliveries beginning from early March. No one knows for sure just yet.
However, UK reviews of the Golf R should appear before Christmas. My understanding is that road testing will take place shortly, in time for the monthly mags to insert a piece in their January editions, due out in the weeks immediately preceding our Lord's birthday.
My own take on current optimism, based on a belief that the UK is out of recession, is that it is completely misplaced. I think the first few months of next year are going to be very tough. Bank lending is still nowhere near back to normal and financing any new car is likely to cost you your shirt in interest payments. In the meantime, VW UK has been artificially limiting availability to sustain demand and guarantee residual values. VW Germany has reduced production accordingly. The good news is that we will begin to turn the corner next year as the banks' balance sheets recover. A renewed desire to lend will favour UK car buyers, who represent a good credit risk. Which means when the market does recover, it will be like a tidal flow. VW will have to boost production and stimulate demand very quickly or risk losing marketing share. No one can say for sure when this will happen, but my guess is Spring time. We should see deals offered on all Golf models, with the exception of the R, starting March-April
