Volkswagen hints at even hotter models with Oettinger acquisition

Mercedes-Benz has AMG, BMW has M, and even Toyota has TRD. Now, Volkswagen is hoping to emulate some of that performance magic by partnering with one of the oldest and most respected tuning houses in Europe, Oettinger – though the relationship is getting off to a quiet start.

A wild bodykit for the Volkswagen Golf GTI is the first of a line of new tuning parts that will be available through the brand behind some of the most wildly modified Golfs ever made.

The company, which has been tweaking Golfs since 1975, has partnered with Volkswagen Accessories, the worldwide parts arm of VW, and has kicked things off with a wild aero kit to suit the Golf 7, GTI and R.

A deeper front splitter, side skirts, a high-mount rear wing and aggressive rear diffuser combine with a new quad-outlet exhaust backbox. The R version of the exhaust backbox will also contain a switchable valve to change exhaust notes.

No pricing has been announced, but the kits, which have been run through Volkswagen's wind tunnel program, will carry a three year warranty if they are bought with the car.

If you're waiting for the arrival of the new Mk 7.5 Golf GTI or R, fear not; a new kit for those cars is in the works.

If you've already got a Golf 7, the kit can be retrofitted, and will come with a two-year warranty.

And if you're waiting for the arrival of the new Mk 7.5 Golf GTI or R, fear not; a new kit for those cars is in the works.

"We have tied up with Oettinger at a global level to distribute that to the Volkswagen network," said VW Australia's product marketing manager Jeff Shafer.

He said that other Oettinger tuning elements, like ECU upgrades, suspension work and wilder wide-body kits, aren't on the radar quite yet.

"I think there are always people who want to take their Volkswagen to another level," he said. "I would think that if we could facilitate that, that's good for us and good for the customer, but I'm not sure if that's  necessarily where this will go."

Mr Shafer also suggested Volkswagen would look at accessories for other models. The Oettinger website currently lists parts for almost every VW model on sale, including the Caddy, Passat, T6 and Touareg.

Would you spend big bucks to tweak your brand new Golf GTI? Tell us what you think in the comments below.