Volkswagen Golf R disappears for 2020 model year

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More changes are afoot for the Volkswagen lineup in the US. According to a new report, the hottest of hot hatches from VW, the Golf R, will not return for the 2020 model year.

Motor Authority first reported on the Golf R's death and it follows news that VW plans to simplify things for the Golf in general. The hatchback will surface for another model year, but it will only include the standard model, e-Golf, and GTI model. In fact, the standard model has been pared down to just a Value Edition that includes niceties such as heated seats, in-car Wi-Fi and 16-inch alloy wheels. The Golf's electrified model, the e-Golf, will stick around in SE and SEL Premium trims, while the GTI soldiers on in S and SE trims.

Volkswagen has confirmed the adjustment to the 2020 lineup. "With the Wolfsburg factory preparing for the changeover to the next generation of Golf models, the Golf R will take a brief hiatus before returning [as an eighth-generation model]," a VW spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.

The Golf R becomes the third victim of trims to the Golf nameplate. Last month, VW said it will end production of the Golf SportWagen and more rugged Alltrack models. Instead, VW said in the previous announcement it plans to plug the wagons' holes with new SUVs. No shocker there. VW also canned the Beetle after a long production run earlier this year.

Of course, all of this creates more suspense surrounding what will become of the Golf in the US. This past May, news broke the eighth generation of the hatchback might not be available on these shores. Specifically, the brand did not place a safeguard on the standard hatchback. Instead, the company confirmed we will see another GTI and R, with other models "under consideration." For now, the R is on hiatus, but if that report is correct, it will likely reappear within a year or two. News of the standard Golf's death wouldn't be too much of a surprise; the GTI is actually VW's best-selling variant and obviously pulls more of a premium than the standard model.

As for when we'll see any sort of new Golf models, Europe should be treated to the eighth-generation hatch this October. Look for the vehicle to surface for the US as a 2021 model.