Clubsport S - Colours, Spec & Info ...

[kalimon]

So many different stories ... I read the Ring Article on PH 20th July and walked into my local dealership that afternoon and gave them £500 and that was it - Clubsport S ordered - i asked had they had any other orders, they said "No" just interested parties but until Price/Spec were released no-one wanted to put any money down, so i was the first "real" CS-S order - I found out in the next few days that it was Black ... I contacted my Porsche group and got put in touch with Group VW dealership as ideally i wanted a Red car. I was told on the 1st of August 2016 there were only 7 allocation slots left in UK and all in Black - all these slots were gone by the 3rd ... So just stayed with my original Order although i was tempted to buy 2 ... 

I actually think black is the best colour for it, much better than red imo.
 

[GT4]

So many different stories ... I read the Ring Article on PH 20th July and walked into my local dealership that afternoon and gave them £500 and that was it - Clubsport S ordered - i asked had they had any other orders, they said "No" just interested parties but until Price/Spec were released no-one wanted to put any money down, so i was the first "real" CS-S order - I found out in the next few days that it was Black ... I contacted my Porsche group and got put in touch with Group VW dealership as ideally i wanted a Red car. I was told on the 1st of August 2016 there were only 7 allocation slots left in UK and all in Black - all these slots were gone by the 3rd ... So just stayed with my original Order although i was tempted to buy 2 ... 

Interesting, so black was definitely the last slots.
I've got an order number but still haven't paid a deposit, dealer obviously not too fussed if I don't take delivery!

How did you find out how many slots were available nationally? Could your dealer just select them or did they have  a fixed allocation?

Hi Volkswizard ...

The dealer checked with VW on database and just 7 slots were left available on launch day as of 1st August ...

I still wish VW knew how to handle this Launch better, they are not making the most of this cars "specialness" ... Porsche GT dept and PR know exactly how to get the enthusiasts, press raising there expectation through Press leaks, video's, reviews etc so eventually when the car is made available the desire factor is huge and therefore residuals are strong ... but more importantly all the hard work done back at the factory is rewarded accordingly ...?!

Andrew

[Exonian]

So many different stories ... I read the Ring Article on PH 20th July and walked into my local dealership that afternoon and gave them £500 and that was it - Clubsport S ordered - i asked had they had any other orders, they said "No" just interested parties but until Price/Spec were released no-one wanted to put any money down, so i was the first "real" CS-S order - I found out in the next few days that it was Black ... I contacted my Porsche group and got put in touch with Group VW dealership as ideally i wanted a Red car. I was told on the 1st of August 2016 there were only 7 allocation slots left in UK and all in Black - all these slots were gone by the 3rd ... So just stayed with my original Order although i was tempted to buy 2 ... 

Interesting, so black was definitely the last slots.
I've got an order number but still haven't paid a deposit, dealer obviously not too fussed if I don't take delivery!

How did you find out how many slots were available nationally? Could your dealer just select them or did they have  a fixed allocation?

Hi Volkswizard ...

The dealer checked with VW on database and just 7 slots were left available on launch day as of 1st August ...

I still wish VW knew how to handle this Launch better, they are not making the most of this cars "specialness" ... Porsche GT dept and PR know exactly how to get the enthusiasts, press raising there expectation through Press leaks, video's, reviews etc so eventually when the car is made available the desire factor is huge and therefore residuals are strong ... but more importantly all the hard work done back at the factory is rewarded accordingly ...?!

Andrew

VW are into volume selling where as Porsche sell cars to wealthy people who are far more image conscious and generally more discerning (they can afford to be!), VW will use the GTI's image to reasonable effect to hit a niche market but fashion will also play a part so while VW are on the back foot over the emissions scandal and the R400 is kept on the shelf (which would have had the above desire factor) the other VW models trail the AMG and M Sport products by a margin in headline figures.
VW can poach Porsche staff to engineer and advise but they won't want to dilute their halo Porsche brand too much with the family still holding huge stakes on the board and huge amounts of brand shares.
In short, I'm sure VW have more of an eye on electric cars and future low emissions models than high polluting hot hatches so probably don't want too much publicity in that area?

[GT4]

So many different stories ... I read the Ring Article on PH 20th July and walked into my local dealership that afternoon and gave them £500 and that was it - Clubsport S ordered - i asked had they had any other orders, they said "No" just interested parties but until Price/Spec were released no-one wanted to put any money down, so i was the first "real" CS-S order - I found out in the next few days that it was Black ... I contacted my Porsche group and got put in touch with Group VW dealership as ideally i wanted a Red car. I was told on the 1st of August 2016 there were only 7 allocation slots left in UK and all in Black - all these slots were gone by the 3rd ... So just stayed with my original Order although i was tempted to buy 2 ... 

Interesting, so black was definitely the last slots.
I've got an order number but still haven't paid a deposit, dealer obviously not too fussed if I don't take delivery!

How did you find out how many slots were available nationally? Could your dealer just select them or did they have  a fixed allocation?

Hi Volkswizard ...

The dealer checked with VW on database and just 7 slots were left available on launch day as of 1st August ...

I still wish VW knew how to handle this Launch better, they are not making the most of this cars "specialness" ... Porsche GT dept and PR know exactly how to get the enthusiasts, press raising there expectation through Press leaks, video's, reviews etc so eventually when the car is made available the desire factor is huge and therefore residuals are strong ... but more importantly all the hard work done back at the factory is rewarded accordingly ...?!

Andrew

VW are into volume selling where as Porsche sell cars to wealthy people who are far more image conscious and generally more discerning (they can afford to be!), VW will use the GTI's image to reasonable effect to hit a niche market but fashion will also play a part so while VW are on the back foot over the emissions scandal and the R400 is kept on the shelf (which would have had the above desire factor) the other VW models trail the AMG and M Sport products by a margin in headline figures.
VW can poach Porsche staff to engineer and advise but they won't want to dilute their halo Porsche brand too much with the family still holding huge stakes on the board and huge amounts of brand shares.
In short, I'm sure VW have more of an eye on electric cars and future low emissions models than high polluting hot hatches so probably don't want too much publicity in that area?

Interesting point you make ...But the Gti is the Halo to the VW brand and in many ways "is" the VW brand ... So why not publicise the most advanced VW ever produced ..??!!!

[Exonian]

As far as VW are concerned the R is the flagship model and the GTI is a niche model (sub-brand) in its own right. The GTI was always the best balance of the range between sporty and useable but since the mk6 R the GTI seems to have been usurped a little, mostly due to the balance of traction versus torque has been tipped towards 4wd powertrains as uber hatches take over from 'mere' hot hatches. Time and progress march on. Plus the mk7 R offers relative value for money and has become the darling of those wishing to tune rather than the GTI. In other words the GTI has been massively diluted. Not for the first time either.

VW have done their publicity bit, they've gone as far as they wanted to, most likely because the mk7 Golf as we know it is drawing to a close. Production of the model is weeks away from ceasing.
The new Golf mk7.5 will get the fanfares it requires globally next year.
VW have a reputation to mend and a limited run GTI with bits borrowed off the Leon Sub8 might keep the GTI in focus but it's not going to untarnish an image wrecked by emissions fraud.

[GT4]

As far as VW are concerned the R is the flagship model and the GTI is a niche model (sub-brand) in its own right. The GTI was always the best balance of the range between sporty and useable but since the mk6 R the GTI seems to have been usurped a little, mostly due to the balance of traction versus torque has been tipped towards 4wd powertrains as uber hatches take over from 'mere' hot hatches. Time and progress march on. Plus the mk7 R offers relative value for money and has become the darling of those wishing to tune rather than the GTI. In other words the GTI has been massively diluted. Not for the first time either.

VW have done their publicity bit, they've gone as far as they wanted to, most likely because the mk7 Golf as we know it is drawing to a close. Production of the model is weeks away from ceasing.
The new Golf mk7.5 will get the fanfares it requires globally next year.
VW have a reputation to mend and a limited run GTI with bits borrowed off the Leon Sub8 might keep the GTI in focus but it's not going to untarnish an image wrecked by emissions fraud.

Do you seriously think "Mr Gti man" is that hurt by the emissions scandal ..? Surely, he is mire bothered about performance than Mpg ..?! Andrew

[lemski]

As far as VW are concerned the R is the flagship model and the GTI is a niche model (sub-brand) in its own right. The GTI was always the best balance of the range between sporty and useable but since the mk6 R the GTI seems to have been usurped a little, mostly due to the balance of traction versus torque has been tipped towards 4wd powertrains as uber hatches take over from 'mere' hot hatches. Time and progress march on. Plus the mk7 R offers relative value for money and has become the darling of those wishing to tune rather than the GTI. In other words the GTI has been massively diluted. Not for the first time either.

VW have done their publicity bit, they've gone as far as they wanted to, most likely because the mk7 Golf as we know it is drawing to a close. Production of the model is weeks away from ceasing.
The new Golf mk7.5 will get the fanfares it requires globally next year.
VW have a reputation to mend and a limited run GTI with bits borrowed off the Leon Sub8 might keep the GTI in focus but it's not going to untarnish an image wrecked by emissions fraud.

Do you seriously think "Mr Gti man" is that hurt by the emissions scandal ..? Surely, he is mire bothered about performance than Mpg ..?! Andrew

Im with gt4, if I was going to go buy a new car, id still go for the gti... I dont care that vw got caught out 1St.
If I wanted economy id not be looking at hot hatches in the 1St place

[Exonian]

I can see where you're coming from as performance car buyers GT4 and Lemski.
VW as a group are hurt by the emissions scandal so why would they pour a load of money at promoting higher polluting models that are about to be replaced any day now? Production of the Mk7 GTI is all but over, the Ed40 is done, they've thrown a bit of money at it to get the 'Ring time back in German hands and produced a half arsed version of what they originally hinted at to highlight the MQB platform (the supposed lightweight GTI with carbon roof and other weight savings) versatility.
They've produced the ED40 in another 'complimentary' special with 150 of the worldwide 400 going to the UK. That shows two things, one being that the UK still likes hot hatches which is fair enough as we have the right roads and traffic conditions for them to make sense. The other thing being that 250 are going elsewhere in the world meaning that the GTI market as a whole over the world is pretty small. So VW would, unsurprisingly, rather shift more mundane metal to dig themselves out of their big hole.
VW might own Porsche but they aren't Porsche. The Golf is bread and butter to VW and Porsche is something entirely different. Porsche owners might well own a Golf as a second car (many do) but there is no overlap between a GT4 and a GTI aside from the Porker might have a few bits like switches borrowed from its poor cousin.
VW probably don't consider the CSS as the most advanced VW ever made, they would look to their PHEV's and current vogue SUV's for that. Porsches cost considerably more money and will have the best of the technology in relation to performance engineering to showcase what VW group can do in that area, then the bits gradually filter down to other models such as the Golf.
As a GTI owner on and off (more on than off) for nearly 30 years even I am not that interested in the CSS or 'Ring times. I'll leave that model to the speculators, traders looking to make a quick buck, those who have a VW related business to promote with one and the odd collector or two.
On that note I shall eject myself from this thread as I'm irrelevant. I only dropped by to try and explain why VW as a group didn't act like a specialist Porsche division on a dead in the water production model when they're in a huge turmoil with a global scandal the will require them to focus as much as possible on low emissions models.

[lemski]

I see your point mate and tbf when the r400 concept was floating about I was excited and Obvously the emissions scandall may have killed that particular car from becoming reality.
And your right about porsche and vw.

[GT4]

I see your point Exonian and agree with it, in its context ...

But the Golf needs the Gti the same as the 911 needs the RS and GT cars ... As it adds "enthusiast" value to its mainstream "cash cows" - if Porsche just made bog standard 911's their market would be smaller and their profit smaller too ... The GT4/GT3 give Porsche some motorsport credibility and lineage ... This serves three purposes 1) R&D 2) Heritage 3) Branding.
VW are doing that same thing in a smaller sense with the CS-S ... Showing too their enthusiast following that the can keep up with their competition and even better that competition and in doing so add credibility, R&D and improve the "Cult" fever attached to its Premier 40 year old brand "The Gti" - The King of Hot Hatches ... They have made 400 World wide CS-S cars - they could have made 40'000 cars and it would have still sold, but thats not the point - Porsche only make a few hundred RS cars for that same reason ...

Andrew