U.S.-Bound 2018 Volkswagen Golf R Might Get a 'Performance' Variant

Last April, Volkswagen announced a Performance Package for the upcoming 7.5 generation of the Golf R, it's hottest hatchback to date. The package adds huge 17-inch brakes, Akrapovic performance exhaust, a larger spoiler, and subtle body re-tweaks to aid with airflow, improving handling. As with most U.S.-hot hatch relations, our excitement was immediately stifled when VW said that us Americans wouldn't be getting the Performance variant when the 2018 Golf R hits U.S. dealerships––which we're also still waiting for.

According to VWvortex, Volkswagen is revisiting this rash decision, so there's a sliver of hope that we may get the package in the future.  “I don’t know right now if we have the option to bring over to the United States, but it’s obviously something that we’re evaluating," said Megan Garbis, Volkswagen's product specialist.

As VWvortex points out, it's unclear if the Performance model would be a hit or not. Volkswagen acknowledges the Golf R/GTI's extensive aftermarket in the States and isn't so sure that an OEM package containing a few extra go-fast parts would sell.

Still, we'd love it if VW gave the Golf R some more love, especially since the American 2018 model won't receive the 18-horsepower bump the European variants get. A simple ECU tune should fix that though, which just reinforces Volkswagen's point. Why sell something when popular engine mods already work wonders?