Falling Ringgit jacks up VW prices
The Malaysian Ringgit is not in great health at the moment, its latest exchange rate against the US Dollar at a very depressing RM3.56 to a dollar, reported to be its weakest since 2009. A weak currency is not always bad news, of course, as it helps with more competitive exports, although it also results in increased cost of imported goods.
Consumers feel the pinch of a depreciating currency through a general rise in prices of various items, and the first car maker to succumb to the pressure of our currency fluctuation is Volkswagen. In a statement released earlier today, the company announced price increases between 0.6 and over 5.0 percent for almost all models in its line-up. Most models see prices increase between 2.0 and 3.0 percent.
The recently Tiguan 1.4 TSI FWD was the only model spared of a price increase as most models saw their prices hiked from as low as RM1,000 for the CrossTouran to as high as RM15,000 in the case of the Touareg 3.6 V6.
A number of models have also been officially discontinued, namely the Polo 1.2 TSI Sport, Eos 2.0 TSI, Beetle 1.4 TSI & 2.0 TSI, as well as the Touareg Hybrid. Additionally, the Jetta is now also offered with an optional bodykit at a price of RM12,341.40.
A full summary of the increased prices are listed below. Alternatively, head over to our New Car section for in-depth specifications of each model.
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Writer’s Note (9 Jan 2015, 0036hrs, GMT +8): Earlier, our story had featured erroneous prices for the Polo Sedan and Beetle 1.2 TSI variants. We have since corrected the errors, and an amended table is attached with the corrections highlighted.
