AGEN ANNOUNCES PRICING FOR THE NEW GOLF R: $33,990 

FOR THE TWO-DOOR MODEL

With 256 horsepower, the Golf R is the most powerful VW sports
performance vehicle ever sold in the U.S.—and Volkswagen’s new performance
icon is now available in two- and four-doors.

 Well-equipped two-door model starts at $33,990

 Sunroof and Navigation models have MSRPs of $35,490 (two-door) and
$36,090 (four-door)

 Six-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive standard

 Predicted fuel economy of 19 mpg city, 27 mpg highway

 Bi-Xenon headlights and LED DRLs standard on all models

 On-sale early 2012, as a 2012 model,  in both two- and
four-door versions

Herndon, VA – Intelligent downsizing. That’s what the new Golf R represents. The heir
to the 2004 and 2008 Golf R32 models, the new R manages to have more power,
more performance, and consume less gasoline than its illustrious iconic
performance forebears. And it offers all this for just $33,990, plus destination,
for the two-door Golf R model. Whereas the R32 models used 3.2-liter VR6
engines, the new Golf R is fitted with a high-output version of the
award-winning turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI® engine. This engine makes 256
horsepower, six more than the VR6 fitted into the 2008 R32. As well as offering
more power and performance, the Golf R is also more economical, with
manufacturer estimated fuel economy of 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the
highway compared with EPA estimated mileage of 18 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on
the highway for the prior model.

Media Information

Like the previous R32 models, the Golf R is equipped with Volkswagen’s
4Motion® all-wheel-drive system: the latest generation of this system can
divert up to 100 percent of the torque to the rear wheels, if needed. All Golf
R models sold in the U.S will be equipped with a close-ratio six-speed manual
transmission. For the first time, the Golf R will be available in two- and
four-door guises as well as in two trim levels: well-equipped Golf R and luxurious
Golf R with Sunroof and Navigation.

Exterior

The Golf R is a refined vehicle that’s marked by clean, minimalist lines
that are mixed with sharp, intricate detailing. The style is sleek and
contemporary, yet timeless and elegant. The changes made for the Golf R are
subtle yet striking, in keeping with the car’s mission of providing
sophisticated and understated performance. Up front, there’s a new bumper that
incorporates LED daytime running lights and three large black air intakes that
help cool the engine. The radiator grille is finished in gloss black and
features an “R” logo that sets the front of the car apart from the rest of the
Golf range. Unique Bi-Xenon headlamps that are framed in black also have the
Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), whereby the lights turn with the steering
wheel, up to a maximum of 15 degrees, to provide better visibility around
bends. The car's streamlined profile continues toward the rear, with a pair of
subtly flared side skirts running along the lower edge of the body. The new
18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels expose gloss-black-painted brake calipers
that incorporate the “R” logo; the exterior mirrors also have a gloss-black
finish. There’s further differentiation at the back of the R, where a new rear
bumper was needed to accommodate the central twin pipes for the exhaust system,
similar to the tailpipes fitted on the original 2004 R32. The bumper also
features a gloss-black diffuser. The back end is highlighted by a slightly
larger tail spoiler than that of the GTI and a subtle “R” badge. The R is
available in five colors: Rising Blue, Candy White, Carbon Steel Gray, Black,
and Tornado Red.

Interior

Just like the exterior, the interior has been enhanced to make it even
more purposeful and demonstrate its role at the apex of the Golf range. On
opening the door, the driver and passenger will note aluminum “R” kickplates on
the sills, before sliding into deep bucket seats. These are adorned with an “R”
logo on the head restraint and are upholstered in supple leather. The squared-off
steering wheel is also swathed in leather, with gloss-black-finished spokes
that carry through from the exterior design. Other R-specific features include:
blue pointers for the instruments; the shifter knob with an “R” motif; aluminum
trim for the dashboard and doors; and aluminum pedals. The Golf R comes
extremely well equipped, even in base form. Fully automatic dual-zone climate
control is standard, along with a multifunction steering wheel, Premium VIII
audio with eight speakers, aux-in, a Media Device Interface with iPod®
connectivity, and Bluetooth®. The Golf R with Sunroof and Navigation adds the
RNS 315 touchscreen navigation system; a 300-watt Dynaudio® sound system; a
sunroof; and Keyless Entry with push-button start. Just like the rest of the
Golf range, the R is practical and versatile. The high-lifting tailgate
provides easy ingress and egress to a load area that offers 15.3 cubic feet of
space. And with the folding rear seat back split 60/40—and featuring a
pass-through—there's real flexibility for load carrying.

Engine and Transmission

The Golf R is fitted with the most powerful Golf production engine ever
seen in the U.S. The car uses an uprated version of the EA113 2.0-liter
turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, rather than the EA888 engine used in
the current GTI. Like the EA888, the EA113 uses direct fuel injection and
double overhead camshafts with variable intake timing. Because the Golf R
develops more power and torque than the GTI—256 horsepower and 243 lb-ft
compared with 200 hp and 207 lb-ft—a number of changes have been made. The
cylinder block is reinforced, stronger connecting rods are fitted, and an
uprated BorgWarner K04 turbocharger is used, boosting at up to 17 psi. With
manufacturer estimated fuel economy ratings of 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on
the highway, this is the most fuel-efficient Golf R model ever sold in the U.S.
The Golf R is offered with a slick shifting, close-ratio six-speed manual
transmission that features a magnesium selector housing and cable
operation with very short lever movements. The latest-generation 4Motion
all-wheel drive is also standard on the Golf R. This system uses a Haldex®
clutch pack that continuously varies the amount of torque sent to the rear
wheels, depending on whether slippage is detected at the front. In normal
driving, the Golf R acts like a front-wheel-drive machine, which has benefits
for fuel economy. However, if needed, up to 100 percent of the torque can be
directed to the rear wheels for traction on more challenging surfaces.

Suspension

The Golf R has unique calibration for its suspension, even compared with
the GTI. At the front, it uses a damper-strut layout with lower control arms
and a stiff, tubular anti-roll bar that combine to help keep the front tires
planted during hard cornering, reducing body roll and heightening steering
feedback. At the back, there’s a compact multilink independent layout that
features coil springs, telescopic dampers, and an anti-roll bar. The four-link
layout features three lateral control arms—the spring mounting, the track rod
and upper control arm, and a trailing link at each wheel. Suspension
assemblies are attached by way of a rear-axle subframe and, as at the
front, rubber and metal mountings that are soft in torsion but stiff radially
are used to help ensure the anti-roll bar responds immediately and suppresses
body roll effectively. The spring and damper units are located separately on
each side of the car at the rear, with the coil spring bearing directly on the
trailing link and the damper attached to the wheel hub assembly.
This enables the suspension geometry on the compression stroke to generate
a toe steering effect that maintains neutral behavior, or some slight
understeer, in all driving and load-carrying situations. It also helps ensure
excellent driving stability on rough, uneven road surfaces. Stylish
18-inch-diameter aluminum-alloy wheels are shod with 225/40 all-season
performance tires.

Steering and Brakes

The Golf R uses a third-generation electro-mechanical power steering
system that is able to vary the feel of the steering to suit the speed and
driving situation. It is firm and direct when driving at highway speeds,
requiring less effort at parking speeds. Other advantages of the system include
its mild selfcentering action, and its ability to help compensate for driving
hazards like crosswinds and steep road cambers. In the Golf R, the steering
ratio is quicker than the GTI’s for an even sportier on-road feel. The brakes
were modified to cope with the Golf R’s higher level of performance as compared
to the GTI. Golf R gets vented 13.6-inch-diameter front and 12.2-inch rear
discs, up from the GTI’s 12.3-inchdiameter vented front and 10.7-inch solid
rear discs. Naturally, anti-lock brakes (ABS) are standard, along with
electronic brake pressure distribution (EBS) and hydraulic brake assist (HBA).
The latest version of HBA is able to discern whether the braking is “normal” or
an emergency according to the speed with which the pedal is depressed. In the
event of an emergency, HBA helps increase the brake pressure and activates the
ABS.

Safety and Security

The 2012 Golf R comes with an array of standard safety features. For
driving security, enhancements include Electronic Stability Control (ESC),
Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), and an Electronic Differential Lock (EDL). A hill
holder function automatically applies the parking brake when the vehicle comes
to rest and the brake is depressed in traffic, preventing the car from rolling
backwards or forwards. The brake is released once the driver presses the
accelerator pedal. This is especially useful in slow traffic on long inclines.
Should the car be involved in a crash, the occupants are protected by driver
and passenger front and front side thorax airbags together with Side Curtain
Protection® head airbags for front and rear passengers. Volkswagen's advanced
Intelligent Crash Response System shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors,
and even switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in certain types
of collisions. Like all 2012 Volkswagen models, the Golf R is covered under the
no-charge Carefree Maintenance Program. All scheduled maintenance is
covered for the length of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty— three years or
36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

Model Line-up

The base Golf R is a sophisticated and luxurious performance car, with a
high level of standard equipment.

Golf R

Starting at $33,990, the two-door Golf R comes equipped with Bi-Xenon
headlights; dual-zone Climatronic® air conditioning; cruise control;
leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel; power windows with auto up/down
function; leather seating surfaces; 60/40-split folding rear seat with pass
through; aluminum pedals; a leather shifter knob and brake lever; and
Bluetooth® technology. The eight-speaker sound system has an in-dash six-CD
changer, AM/FM/SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio, and auxiliary input jack along with
an iPod® adapter.

Golf R with Sunroof and Navigation

Starting at $35,490 for the two-door model, this adds: a power
tilt-and-slide sunroof; Keyless Entry with push-button start; the RNS 315
touchscreen navigation system; and the eight-channel 300-watt Dynaudio® premium
sound system.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in
Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in
Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen’s operations in the United States include
research and development, parts and vehicle processing, parts distribution
centers, sales, marketing and service offices, financial service centers, and
its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars
and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Beetle, Eos, Golf,
GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Passat, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan vehicles
through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2012 Volkswagen models
come standard-equipped with Electronic Stability Control. This is important
because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called
ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt.
Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or media.vw.com to learn
more.

Notes:

This press release and images of the Golf R are available at
media.vw.com.

“TSI”, “VW”, “Volkswagen”, “4MOTION”, “Climatronic”, all model names and
the Volkswagen logo are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. “Carefree
Maintenance” is a registered trademark of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
“Bluetooth” is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. “Dynaudio” is a
registered trademark of DYNAUDIO International GmbH. “iPod” is a registered
trademark of Apple, Inc. “SiriusXM” and “SiriusXM Satellite Radio” are
trademarks of SiriusXM Radio, Inc. “Haldex” is a registered trademark of Haldex
Traction Systems, Sweden. Features and technical data apply to models offered
in the USA. They may differ in other countries.

Where stated, fuel economy values (mpg) are EPA estimates. All other
fuel economy values are forecast manufacturer values for the USA; those EPA
estimates were not available at time of release. MSRPs exclude taxes, title,
transportation, options and dealer charges. The Intelligent Crash Response
System (ICRS) will only activate in a collision where the airbags deploy or
safety belt pretensioners activate. Not all collisions cause airbags to deploy
or safety belt pretensioners to activate.

2012 Golf R Pricing

Model Price Features

Golf R Two-Door  $33,990

Golf R Two-Door with Sunroof and Navigation $35,490

 Golf R Four-Door with Sunroof and Navigation $36,090

2.0L TSI, 256 hp/243 lb-ft engine, front and rear disc brakes, 4Motion all-wheel drive,
dual exhaust tips w/polished finish, 18-inch aluminum-alloy wheels w/all-season
tires, sport suspension, hill hold assist, rear window wiper, gloss
black-painted brake calipers, gloss-black-colored mirrors, moldings, door handles, and bumper, rear roof
spoiler, sport front, rear, and side valences, heated washer nozzles, power-adjustable
and heated exterior mirrors, bi-xenon headlamps, daytime running lights, front and rear carpeted
floor mats, adjustable front center armrest w/ integrated storage box, leather-wrapped
brake handle and shift knob, tilt and telescope steering column, splitfolding rear seat w/armrest
w/storage and pass-thru, alloy pedals, leather-wrapped multifunction sport
steering wheel, power windows, cruise control, adjustable intermittent front windshield wipers, power
outlets (2), power locks, rear window defroster, compass, trip computer, Climatronic
automatic dualzone AC, eight-way manual and heatable sport front seats, leather seating surfaces,
easy-entry front seats (2-door only), Premium VIII radio w/six-disc CD changer, MDI iPod®
interface, Sirius® satellite radio, Bluetooth® connectivity, driver and front passenger front and side
airbags, side curtain airbags

(Includes Golf R features)

Adds; power tilt/slide sunroof; keyless entry with push-button start; RNS 315 five-inch
touchscreen navigation system; and Dynaudio ® premium sound system

(Includes
Golf R features plus Sunroof and Navigation)