Cast your mind back to December last year, when news emerged that the 155kW Scirocco 2.0 TSI and 195kW Scirocco R had been granted approval under the Federal Government’s Specialist & Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme (SEVS). A post in the comments section of AUSmotive’s article revealed that this approval had been sought not by Volkswagen Australia, but by Melbourne-based importers the Australian Vehicle Import & Compliance Company (AVICCO). At the time I promptly fired off an email to AVICCO seeking further clarification of what this SEVS deal involved. Nothing…
…until yesterday morning. That was when I received the following news from a representative of AVICCO, “After a few ups and downs over a few months, we got the good news yesterday that we can bring USED Sciroccos under the RAWS scheme into Australia.”
Okay, the key word there is “used”. Perhaps not the way many Scirocco fans in Australia were hoping the car would arrive here, but given Volkswagen Australia’s apparent lack of willingness to introduce the model down under, this is a welcome step indeed. The variants of the Scirocco approved under the scheme, as noted, are the 2.0 TSI and R versions.
AVICCO have confirmed with AUSmotive that they have a client ready and willing to pony up the cash to bring in a sample car, sourced from the UK, to be used for compliance purposes. Assuming that process is given the sign off by the Feds, AVICCO expects to be in a position to offer the Scirocco to Australian customers in the second half of 2010.
Warranty and pricing information is still unconfirmed at this stage, but the 2.0 TSI version could well be in the same ball park as the current Golf GTI.
It’s hard to believe that it is as far back as May 2008 that it first became clear the Volkswagen Scirocco had a willing audience here in Australia. Now, almost two years on, it appears someone is ready to do what Volkswagen Australia won’t, and that is to bring the reality of the Scirocco on Australian shores within touching distance.
If you would like to be kept up to date on the progress of the Scirocco coming to Australia, I have been asked to invite you to send an email to AVICCO: sciroccoproject@avicco.com
UPDATE 14 March: Further clarification from AVICCO has been received on what the definition “used” might mean for their planned Volkswagen Scirocco imports. To qualify as a used vehicle under the relevant scheme a car only needs to have been registered in the original country, in this case the UK, before being put on a ship. For example, the registration period could be as little as one day. According to AVICCO, Australian customers could order a Scirocco to their exact spec and they will handle the rest. Sounds a bit better than importing a low mileage car that could have some question marks over it.