Return of the king! 2023 Volkswagen Golf GTI returns to Australian showrooms after supply halted the Hyundai i30 N rival

The historic hot hatch icon, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, has been absent from Aussie showrooms for some time, but the brand’s local arm has now announced its return.

Taken off sale here in early December 2022 due to production changes, the Golf GTI is now back alongside the R-Line hatch, which was also dropped temporarily.

Volkswagen Australia says ‘around 1300 units’ of the models are on the way to Australia, joining the likes of T-Roc, Tiguan, Passat, Arteon, and Touareg in the brand’s list of models that have variants available for immediate delivery, or a wait time no longer than three months. Volkswagen adds it also has “unrestricted access” to the T-Roc R and R-Line SUV. 

The return of Golf GTI and R-Line to Volkswagen’s showrooms means they’ll be the most readily available variants of Golf, with base and Life variants in hatch and wagon both slightly more intermittent in their availability.

The Golf R and its wagon variant are both still on hold, with demand for each too high to realistically meet for now.

Volkswagen Australia's Head of Passenger Vehicles, Michelle Rowney says supply for the Mk8 generation Golf in general has been tight.

“Inside our headquarters and in showrooms there’s so much love for the Golf, so it has been challenging to have our supply restricted for this iconic hatchback,” Rowney said.

The GTI returns with pricing from $55,490, before on-road costs, while the R-Line starts at $40,490.

While the R-Line features the same 110kW/250Nm 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the base model, it comes with features from the top-end of the range like sports seats and R styling, including 18-inch wheels.

The GTI however runs a 180kW/370Nm 2.0-litre turbo engine, and comes with plenty more like a choice of 18- or 19-inch wheels, adaptive dampers, and an electronically-controlled, mechanically locking LSD.

The announcement of new GTI and R-Line availability comes after VW last week announced a raft of more than 1400 new T-Cross 85TSI Style SUVs available for order at $35,990 drive-away.