Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.
johnpolo2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:09 pm
Just read that Porsche have written to customers saying that in the case of a no deal Brexit a 10% tariff will go on the car price even if already ordered. If VW try this they can keep it.
Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
I read something similar about Porsche a month ago. I'd tell them to stick it. Why they would do this without knowing whether it will cost more to import cars after March 29th or not is just plain greedy.different profile of customers though, bet plenty of Porsche customers will swallow the extra cost.
VW needs the custom of the largest single new car market in Europe (UK). Most Europeans buy a car and keep it a long time. It's ingrained in German culture not to borrow money, including mortgages - So most of them rent houses. When you go on the German VW website,, you can see the ridiculously low APR that VWFS in Germany offer to persuade the German consumers to buy a new car on credit rather than keep that 15 year old MK4 Golf another few years.
S_94 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 14, 2019 8:46 pm
No chance I'd accept the car if they tried that.
My thoughts exactly.
It would be the ultimate p*** take to be made to wait such a long time only to find they whack on an extra bunch of money because of yet more matters beyond our control.
They can shove it up their exhaust pipe if they try that one on me.
johnpolo2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:09 pm
Just read that Porsche have written to customers saying that in the case of a no deal Brexit a 10% tariff will go on the car price even if already ordered. If VW try this they can keep it.
Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
I read something similar about Porsche a month ago. I'd tell them to stick it. Why they would do this without knowing whether it will cost more to import cars after March 29th or not is just plain greedy.different profile of customers though, bet plenty of Porsche customers will swallow the extra cost.
VW needs the custom of the largest single new car market in Europe (UK). Most Europeans buy a car and keep it a long time. It's ingrained in German culture not to borrow money, including mortgages - So most of them rent houses. When you go on the German VW website,, you can see the ridiculously low APR that VWFS in Germany offer to persuade the German consumers to buy a new car on credit rather than keep that 15 year old MK4 Golf another few years.
My Mk4 Golf has just turned 18 years old. Yep, I’ll keep it another few years yet
johnpolo2 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 14, 2019 5:09 pm
Just read that Porsche have written to customers saying that in the case of a no deal Brexit a 10% tariff will go on the car price even if already ordered. If VW try this they can keep it.
Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
They really have got to be kidding. After the initial launch then delays, adding 10% to an agreed order would kill what little of interest I would have remaining in the new Polo. Any increase 'due to our ridiculously long (mostly self-inflicted) delays' would mean for me either new Mk8 Golf further down the line or stick with the car I have since I'm perfectly happy with it. Shame, as like I've admitted speaking as I find (it's a Yorkshire thing), if others are happy good for them, but I do (soon to be did ?) like the new Polo....
I suspect that the dealer would have to absorb the increase or loose an order as I don’t think they’d like to have a sudden glut of new cars sat on the forecourt
It looks like VW might follow Porsche and add 10%. But there’s a lot of ‘ifs’, such as if we leave with a No-Deal Brexit. I think 10% is the default import tariff under WTO rules.
Martin-GTi wrote: ↑Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:07 pm
It looks like VW might follow Porsche and add 10%. But there’s a lot of ‘ifs’, such as if we leave with a No-Deal Brexit. I think 10% is the default import tariff under WTO rules.
If you ordered your car before the end of January, it looks like you’re fine regardless.
Yes, that article is littered with ‘ifs’ and ‘may be’s’.
The thing that stood out for me in that article is the statement; ‘For Porsche, however, the policy could affect customers who ordered as long ago as January 17‘, implying that some customers have waited more than to years for their cars so far!
as a person, practicing law and having some knowledge in trading and deals within EU, here is what goes (imo) :
- if you have a signed contract - as it seems by the end of January for some, prices can not be changed, as all term are written and agreed upon by both sides, with the exception of some unforeseeable events, which Brexit is not. A one sided increase in price will lead to many private court cases and bad PR that it would most certainly be a suicide for VAG. UK is ceratinly a big big market - your car prices are one of the highest in Europe. As an eastern European, a full stocked up polo gti with all options and extras selected, is 24 k euros here and even with those prices few are bought. How much is it in the UK and how many have been sold/ordered ? Not to mention the other cars in the VAG.
- with all the delays in delivery, VAG owns you money, I got 4 x winter tires, 18 inch Pirelli sotozero 3 for free due to the 11 months wait time.
- the "deal/no deal" votes within Britain are leaving most companies in horror, because they do not know how to deal with it yet (hard or soft) and they have taken the measure to tell people, that the buyer will bear all taxes and trade fees, forced by Brexit.
- so Porsche have taken measures first, because imo their cars are expensive and a percentage increase would be felt by some of their buyers.
- what is strange to me is that VAG have not taken this step first, as the mother company, which bring more questions than answers.
- as the article says, this is just to make some noise and want both buyers and 3rd party sellers in UK, that there for sure will be a price hike, deal or no deal, and they should start warn their buyers immediately.
A German guy on you tube who reviews cars on his channel said that the UK and Switzerland were the main markets for Polo GTIs, with near double digit percentages. Other countries it was near 3 percent or so.
