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NZ Autocar

Next VW Golf GTI will be electric and monstering

The all-electric Volkswagen ID Golf GTI is evidently in the development phase, and VW CEO Thomas Schäfer said that it will be a monster. This isn't the ID Golf GTI but the last example before the next generation. Based on the VW Group's all-new SSP architecture, this halo car is important for the brand. Which is why the R&D team is getting on the job early to make sure the first electric GTI is a success. It is due before the end of the decade and Schäfer said he is 'very happy with the progress. It's cool. It has to be exciting, it has to be authentic. If we bring a GTI, it has to be a [true] GTI.' The headline news is that it will follow in the footsteps of its predecessors and retain its front-wheel drive status. That's in spite of the the ID.3 GTX having a 240kW motor driving the rear wheels. Expect the e-GTI to come with much more power than the outgoing petrol GTI (Golf VIII), because with an electric motor it is easier to control the amount of torque going to each front wheel. The first electric Golf R will follow and will have even more power than the GTI on account of its AWD status. Before both of these, however, Volkswagen will debut the ID.2 GTI which has already been shown in concept form (above). Schäfer has already driven the upcoming ID.2 GTI prototype, due out next year. Of that experience, he commented: 'It's mind blowing.' He said that the feel, handling and even the sound are inspiring. 'It can be done' he suggested. He added that it even has a drift mode. Digital work on the new Golf package is underway before any builds are undertaken. 'We know what the vehicle looks like and [can] sit virtually in the vehicle,' said Schäfer. 'The dimensions of the platform and the vehicle are clear, though it's not [fine-tuned] to the last design detail.' This is the current Golf GTI. The SSP underpinnings will be a key for the Volkswagen Group, with all the electric cars from the group tapping into the hardware and software modules it introduces. 'It's going to be really scalable,' Schäfer said. The first Golf GTI made 80kW from its 1.6-litre engine. Expect at least 220kW from the ID Golf GTI arriving a little over a half century later.