VW Polo GTI is already phasing out...

[PhilArnold]

Phil Arnold, mine was week 18 and no new build date after factory closed. How long after your week 12 build date was the delay before you had a build confirmation? Im trying to work out how long the build delay might be after the factory closed?

I didn't get a build confirmation, that was the annoying thing, went from stage 3 all the way to stage 5 on the 15th may, so 2 months exactly.
I think you're probably looking at an 8 week delay like me

[Ima]

Thanks Phil that’s helpful so hopefully as I’ve done a month I might hear more by end of this month

[PhilArnold]

Thanks Phil that’s helpful so hopefully as I’ve done a month I might hear more by end of this month

Yeah good luck, then you can experience the agony of how slow boats move, it's crazy

[Ima]

I know! It’s the longest wait for a car I’ve ever had and driving me mad and even longer once it’s built. I think knowing it’s actually built will help as I’ll know it’s actually coming. I’m driving my self and wife mad, although that’s not a new thing she’s no idea what’s coming when I start following ships as well

[green justin]

I know! It’s the longest wait for a car I’ve ever had and driving me mad and even longer once it’s built. I think knowing it’s actually built will help as I’ll know it’s actually coming. I’m driving my self and wife mad, although that’s not a new thing she’s no idea what’s coming when I start following ships as well

Once the car arrives, you will drive her even more crazy, you just want to drive the car all the time! very enjoyable car to drive

[Ima]

Indeed! I’m excited to be told my car is in build now so looking at another 8 weeks or so to go. My wife thinks I’m sad to care about cars and rolls her eyes so she will be delighted when I share my excitement later

[lancslad1985]

[quote=Ima post_id=570429 time=<a href="tel:1591047108">1591047108</a> user_id=27022]
I know! It’s the longest wait for a car I’ve ever had and driving me mad and even longer once it’s built. I think knowing it’s actually built will help as I’ll know it’s actually coming. I’m driving my self and wife mad, although that’s not a new thing she’s no idea what’s coming when I start following ships as well

Once the car arrives, you will drive her even more crazy, you just want to drive the car all the time! very enjoyable car to drive
[/quote]

I’ll be ordering from stock in a few weeks time and I’m driving my wife potty too. It’s alright for her, she had a 6c gti. This will be my first gti

[OomStu_ZA]

So here is the new guy we have to blame for all this cost cutting nonesense:
https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry ... s-49149234

[monkeyhanger]

So here is the new guy we have to blame for all this cost cutting nonesense:
https://www.iol.co.za/motoring/industry ... s-49149234

He needs to ensure they don't cost cut too far. VWs have a semi premium image in the UK, that puts them above most of the pack except the other German marques. I've been buying new VWs for 22 years and have seen actual quality drop a fair bit recently, even if perceived quality is still up there. Most of the cost cutting to be done in Europe with job losses I would imagine - wages are very high in Germany, don't think there's much scope to lower cost of parts without it being noticeable, some are already shockingly poor for longer term robustness.

[OomStu_ZA]

We all know the AW Polo is assembled here in ZAR but read in this article today the new Amarok model will also be built here in a joint venture project with Ford SA. I suppose its cheaper for both VW and Ford to enter into a joint venture as it should bring down development costs (something their bean counters can appreciate). I just hope the relationship fares better than Mercedes and an Nissan of late:
https://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/ne ... -sa/45988/

@monekyhanger: may contain click bait images, you've been warned

[SRGTD]

We all know the AW Polo is assembled here in ZAR but read in this article today the new Amarok model will also be built here in a joint venture project with Ford SA. I suppose its cheaper for both VW and Ford to enter into a joint venture as it should bring down development costs (something their bean counters can appreciate). I just hope the relationship fares better than Mercedes and an Nissan of late:
https://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/ne ... -sa/45988/

@monekyhanger: may contain click bait images, you've been warned

Yes, no doubt there will be cost savings achieved through joint venture projects like this.

I can remember one of the early VW / Ford joint ventures; the mk1 VW Sharan and mk1 Ford Galaxy MPV’s. I seem to remember that externally, the only visual differences between the two were the front end faces, rear light clusters and wheel designs. The Ford had a VW tailgate handle (same as the one on the mk4 Golf), and VW got the benefit of Ford’s first generation heated front screen. The VW version was also slightly modified and rebadged as the Seat Alhambra and sold alongside the VW Sharan within VAG.

The news item you provided the link to also mentions joint development of electric vehicles. That’s something I’d previously read, and presumably development cost savings (and speed of development?) will be realised here too. Hopefully, some of the savings will be passed onto the customer in the form of affordable EV’s, so when we’re forced out of our ICE cars, we’ll be able to afford to buy or lease an EV!

[OomStu_ZA]

We all know the AW Polo is assembled here in ZAR but read in this article today the new Amarok model will also be built here in a joint venture project with Ford SA. I suppose its cheaper for both VW and Ford to enter into a joint venture as it should bring down development costs (something their bean counters can appreciate). I just hope the relationship fares better than Mercedes and an Nissan of late:
https://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/ne ... -sa/45988/

@monekyhanger: may contain click bait images, you've been warned

Yes, no doubt there will be cost savings achieved through joint venture projects like this.

I can remember one of the early VW / Ford joint ventures; the mk1 VW Sharan and mk1 Ford Galaxy MPV’s. I seem to remember that externally, the only visual differences between the two were the front end faces, rear light clusters and wheel designs. The Ford had a VW tailgate handle (same as the one on the mk4 Golf), and VW got the benefit of Ford’s first generation heated front screen. The VW version was also slightly modified and rebadged as the Seat Alhambra and sold alongside the VW Sharan within VAG.

The news item you provided the link to also mentions joint development of electric vehicles. That’s something I’d previously read, and presumably development cost savings (and speed of development?) will be realised here too. Hopefully, some of the savings will be passed onto the customer in the form of affordable EV’s, so when we’re forced out of our ICE cars, we’ll be able to afford to buy or lease an EV!

South Africa is way behind on the EV race ito charge points and stations. Not many EV vehicles are sold but there more coming even before the propper infrastructure is set up. That said our national power utlitly (Eskom) cant even boil water in a kettle without tripping the national grid so who knows:
Vehicles to look forward to in 2020 in SA:
https://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Gear_an ... 0-20191111
How geared up is South Africa for electric vehicles?
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article ... #gsc.tab=0

[SRGTD]

@OomStu_ZA; it’ll also be a while before the UK has the necessary infrastructure to support widespread EV ownership.

The UK government have brought forward the ban on sales of new Petrol, Diesel and hybrid cars in the UK from 2040 to 2035, although it’ll be many years after the 2035 deadline before all fossil fuelled vehicles disappear off the UK’s roads. Fifteen years sounds a long time to prepare for widespread EV ownership, but IMO when you’re starting from a position of almost no EV infrastructure to having a nationwide infrastructure with sufficient capacity to support high volumes of EV vehicles, there’s a significant amount of work to do which won’t be cheap either!

[monkeyhanger]

^ We'll al be paying handsomely for that infrastructure, to the point that we'll be no better off financially. Charging capability (speed) needs to be accessed in a residential environment.- can't really do that unless we get very high voltage dedicated charging lines.

It's a pity that the car makers couldn't develop a universal battery system where you go to the EV equivalent of a petrol station and swap out a flat battery for a fully charged one, then carry on moving.

These motorway fast charging stations charge the equivalent of 15p a mile - not very cheap at all. That's like filling a petrol car that does 35mpg.

[lancslad1985]

Well I’ve made my enquiry today for a gti plus, getting a call back from two dealerships tomorrow but both have said the polo gti has become like rocking horse s**t. With the increase in road tax, reduced production and how popular the car is, both dealerships have said it may be a struggle to source one without a 6 month wait. This could all be typical dealership talk but I’ll let you all know in case anyone else is thinking of buying one.