VW creates R division

BMW has BMW M GmbH and Mercedes-Benz has Mercedes-AMG GmbH.

Perhaps feeling left out, Volkswagen has joined its compatriots by creating a specialist high performance division. It has even followed BMW’s lead by using a single letter to name it, as the operation will be known as Volkswagen R GmbH.


Volkswagens carrying the ‘R’ badge are nothing new, though. R models already available in the UK include the Golf R, Passat R Line and R36, Scirocco R, Tiguan R Line and Touareg R50.


The new subsidiary takes over those activities previously carried out by Volkswagen Individual. 300 people are employed at its base near Wolfsburg, hopefully busy preparing an R variant of the new Polo that will sit above the recently-launched 177 bhp GTi.

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