Forget utes, there’s now End of Financial Year deals on hot hatches

The lead-up to the end of financial year is usually discount season for utes, as tradies are told by accountants to spend some cash to reduce their taxable income. But now new deals have emerged on hot hatchbacks.

Volkswagen has introduced a sharp drive-away deal on the iconic VW Golf GTI until 30 June 2024, and the company has also ramped up Australia’s allocation of the flagship VW Golf R all-wheel-drive model.

Until the end of June, the fully-loaded VW Golf GTI with luxury pack – normally $67,980 drive-away – will be available for $59,990 drive-away while stock lasts.

Standard equipment on the VW Golf GTI with luxury pack includes:

• Turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder (180kW/370Nm)
• 7-speed twin-clutch gearbox
• Front-wheel drive
• Mechanical limited slip differential
• Adaptive chassis control.
• LED headlights with automatic high-beam
• Advanced safety suite (radar cruise control, rear cross traffic alert, blind zone warning, lane-keeping assistance)
• 9 airbags including a centre airbag
• Disover Pro 10-inch satellite navigation system
• Widescreen digital instrument cluster
• Heads-up display in the windscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging
• Sensor key entry and push-button start
• Panoramic sunroof
• Vienna leather
• Heated and ventilated front seats, electric driver’s seat with memory
• Steering wheel heating
• 19-alloy wheels
• Harman/Kardon premium audio

Meantime, after pausing orders for the top-of-the-range hot hatch, the VW Golf R, Volkswagen Australia has more than doubled its allocation of vehicles out of Germany.

More than 500 customers in Australia have already ordered a VW Golf R, but 1100 examples are on the way.

That means all outstanding VW Golf R orders in Australia will be filled by the end of this year.

If the VW Golf GTI and VW Golf R are outside your budget, at the other end of the scale there is a national drive-away deal on the Suzuki Swift Sport.

The pint-sized turbocharged 1.4-litre hot hatch – which weighs less than 1000kg, so it punches well above it weight – is now $32,990 drive-away for the manual and $34,990 drive-away for the auto.

Its nearest rival, the Hyundai i20 N, is still on sales pause to clear the backlog of orders and is priced closer to $40,000 drive-away.

The Suzuki Swift Sport’s previous classmates, the Ford Fiesta ST and Renault Clio RS, have been discontinued altogether amid the shift to electric cars in Europe.

This means cars like the VW Golf GTI, VW Golf R, VW Polo GTI, Suzuki Swift Sport, Hyundai i20 N and Hyundai i30 N truly are the last of their breed, before turbo petrol power makes way for electric propulsion.

So if you want one of the last turbo petrol hot hatches before they are no longer available, you might want to get a move on.