Volkswagen Group Australia is in the midst of a series of important launches in 2021 but supply issues have thrown a spanner in the works.
The company has confirmed the semi-conductor shortage and other supply issues are affecting some of its key models, including some of its older products.
Its oldest but best-selling model, the Amarok, has been affected by unspecified logistical delays but the company says there will be “strong arrivals” late this month and early next month.
The semi-conductor shortage has affected two key launches for 2021: the redesigned Golf and the revised Tiguan.
There’s been a slow-down in production of right-hand drive Golfs due to the semi-conductors required for the dual-clutch automatic transmission in the GTI, plus the Harman Kardon sound system that’s optional in the Golf Life, R-Line and GTI.
Tiguan 162TSI R-Line and 147TDI R-Line models are being affected by gearbox component shortages plus a lack of the leather upholstery used in these models.
The company has assured customers any outstanding orders will be prioritised before new orders are accepted.
Touareg 210TDI R-Line 
Semi-conductor shortages have also affected the Tourareg 210TDI due to its standard Innovision cockpit, with Volkswagen quoting an eight-week delay.
Volkswagen is trying to get more supply for its T6.1 range of vans, while global demand and semi-conductor shortages have affected supply of the full-sized Crafter 35.
The company says the 35 “will not return in numbers until 2022”, though there’s sufficient supply of the Crafter 50.
Models that remain unaffected by supply issues at the moment include the:
- Polo
- T-Cross
- T-Roc
- Tiguan 110TSI and 132TSI
- Tiguan Allspace
- Passat
- Arteon (due in the third quarter of 2021)
- Caddy (deliveries begin in August 2021)
VGA has also said that, outside the Volkswagen brand, the redesigned Skoda Octavia is experiencing stock shortfalls.
It’s directing customers to its Skoda stock locator tool.
“While the semi-conductor shortage poses no significantly greater issue than those our brands deal with on a weekly basis, it’s important that customers are made aware of them,” said VGA managing director Michael Bartsch, calling supply issues a “fact of life for European importers”.
VGA has thus far resisted the removal or substitution of features that require more semi-conductors.
The outgoing Peugeot 308 won’t feature a digital instrument cluster in Europe for this reason, while General Motors has removed automatic stop/start from some of its full-sized SUVs and pickup trucks in North America.
