Holy shit, so they could’ve done this this entire time.
Yep... even more baffling to me is how it took them a few years to release Audi A3 and S3 support.
Versus a GTI/Golf R, they are literally the exact same ECU, exact same box codes, exact same tune files. The only thing preventing it was a VIN check they put in place.
It is very surprising it took this long to get 1.8 support. But Cobb is also big on providing OTS tunes for any car they support. Although I don't think it would have been a huge effort to make a couple more Stage 1 OTS files... I guess they decided that extra effort wasn't worth it.
EPA/CARB drama / delays could be a factor too. Everything including OTS tunes from Cobb from now on include a CARB EO, so that certainly pushed the timeline back.