Volkswagen has previewed a feisty, affordable performance variant of the upcoming ID 2 with the new ID GTI concept - a car that harks back to the original Golf GTI in spirit and styling.
A headliner at the 2023 Munich motor show, the compact front-wheel-drive hot hatch is earmarked to head Volkswagen's new entry-level electric car line-up with a front-mounted electric motor, specially tuned sport suspension, traditional GTI design elements and a price expected to start at around €30,000 (£26,000).
"Production has already been decided as part of our electric offensive," said Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer in a clear statement of intent for the first electric GTI model. "It remains sporty, technologically progressive and accessible, but now has a new interpretation for tomorrow's world: electric, fully connected and extremely emotive."
Although no official date has been announced for its launch yet, the production version of the ID GTI looks set to follow standard forms of the ID 2 into showrooms around a year later, indicating a late-2026 introduction in the UK.
Confirmation of the hot ID 2 comes after Schäfer told Autocar he was seeking to ensure long-standing Volkswagen names like GTI are retained on future electric models. "We have iconic names," he said. "It would be crazy to let them die and slip away."
As has always been the case, the GTI name will be applied exclusively to front-driven performance models. The two-year-old GTX name will continue to be seen on four-wheel-drive sporting models, with the R badge set to be reserved for only the most potent of these 4WD EVS, according to Volkswagen.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 06, 2023 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 06, 2023 من Autocar UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
THE DRAMATIC ITALIAN THAT MARKED THE END OF AN ERA
When the Huracán bowed out, the curtain fell forever on Lambo's V10
HOW EV MAKERS CAN WIN THE RACE TO 5.0MPKWH
Manufacturers are honing every detail to close in on big efficiency goal
MASERATI MC20
We bid a sad farewell to a handsome supercar that was easy to live with
The quickening
Instant acceleration is part of the appeal of an EV, but is it all getting a bit much for unwary and inexperienced drivers? JOHN EVANS investigates
Inside track
Watching an F1 race with live access to engineers and telemetry is the stuff of dreams for racing fans. ALEX WOLSTENHOLME makes a day of it
WHOLE IN ONE
The Volkswagen Golf has been all things to all motorists for half a century. At the wheel of a classic Mk1, VICKY PARROTT charts the eight-generation history of one of the world's most successful cars
DACIA DUSTER
Mk3 model gains digital tech, ADAS, slicker looks... Is this mission creep?
MAZDA CX-80 PHEV
Another look at Mazda's hefty SUV, this time in plug-in hybrid form
VAUXHALL GRANDLAND ELECTRIC
Newcomer looks to ease the average family SUV driver into EV motoring
BMW X3 20 XDRIVE
Fourth generation of brand's best-seller arrives with base petrol engine