By now you’ve probably heard that Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport isn’t making its way to the U.S. market. While we here at Road & Track can empathize with the grief surrounding a serious hot hatch missing our market, there’s a reason why it’s staying on the European side of the pond.
Mark Gillies, Volkswagen of America’s director of public relations, told R&T that U.S. regulations would force the Golf GTI Clubsport to be homologated in the U.S. as a new model for the brand. Specifically, due to the changes made to the EA888 EVO4 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, the powerplant would have to pass through the domestic regulatory system again, despite being present in stateside models like the current Golf GTI and Golf R.
As a result, Volkswagen is weary to pay the price associated with the EPA’s Engine Certification and Emissions Compliance testing. Given the limited production run on the Golf GTI Clubsport, the automaker has even less incentive to technically certify the adjusted engine for North American markets.
Even if the Clubsport made its way to North American soil, it wouldn’t be affordable. Gillies explained that because this homologation process would take time and a considerable chunk of change, an imported and certified GTI Clubsport would likely be priced at more than $50,000, well over the Golf R price point.
“The reason the GTI Clubsport hasn’t made it to North America is simply that we would have to homologate the powertrain for this market, and the cost to do that—based on limited potential volume—would ensure that the car would end up costing considerably more than a Golf R,” Gillies said. “Simple business case at the end of the day.”
While the 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, active and adaptive drivetrain and suspension systems, and larger brake rotors put the Clubsport in a class slightly above its standard GTI sibling, a $50,000-plus GTI isn’t exactly competitive from a price per horsepower perspective. Instead of competing against Honda’s Civic Si and the Subaru WRX, Volkswagen’s GTI would be up against the likes of Toyota’s Supra and the Ford Mustang GT.
As unfortunate as it might be, this doesn’t mean the brand isn’t looking at other ways to engage the enthusiast market. Volkswagen is working on a hotter version of its Golf R, known as the Golf R Clubsport. Details about performance and market availability are sparse, but we sure hope it makes its way to the U.S. eventually.
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