Malaysia is the first country outside of Germany and China to locally assemble the Golf GTI Mk8 when the hot hatch was officially launched here last year. It appears that that history is set to repeat itself again, but this time even more momentous than before, as sources close to the matter have told AutoBuzz.my that the updated 2023 Volkswagen Golf R will also soon be locally assembled here in Malaysia.
When production begins, Malaysia will become the first nation in the world outside of Volkswagen’s home country to assemble the Golf R.
According to our sources, the updated 2023 Volkswagen Golf R will be launching in Malaysia soon, and will come with “minor updates”. Looking at the Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM) line-up, we are expecting the new 2023 Golf R to also similarly to be updated with the IQ.Drive advanced driver assistance suite that was also added to the locally-assembled Golf GTI earlier this year.
With the hot hatch now being locally assembled, we can also expect to see a price reduction in one form or another, as the Golf R will now be exempted from the 30% import duty, plus further reduction in excise duty depending on the degree of localisation for the model here in Malaysia. For context, the fully imported Volkswagen Golf R now retails at RM431,162 on-the-road, without insurance.
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The powertrain underneath the bonnet will however remain unchanged, with the EA888 2.0-litre TSI turbocharged inline-four engine continuing to make 320 hp and 400 Nm of torque, with drive sent to all four wheels via a Seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox and the marque’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system.
With a lowered price point, the new locally-assembled 2023 Volkswagen Golf R will be positioning itself to go right up against the FL5 Honda Civic Type R that’s also scheduled to launch this year. The latter will be coming to our shores directly from Honda’s factory in Japan.
